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Food security is one of the basic conditions and an integral part of the national security of any state. International, economic, scientific, technical and trade cooperation, taking place bilaterally and multilaterally, plays an important role in securing it, both nationally and globally. The basis of multilateral cooperation is international agricultural and other organizations and institutions dealing with agriculture and food. The purpose of the article was a comprehensive study of the prerequisites for the establishment and activities of the International Institute of Agriculture (ІIА) for the dissemination of sectoral knowledge. The creation of the ІIА is directly related to the name of David Lubin (1849‒1909), an American, of Polish descent, who, at the end of the 19th century initiated the free access of everyone to information on agriculture. He considered it necessary to create an international agricultural organization that would collect, publish and disseminate industry knowledge in the world. This idea was implemented by David Lubin with the support of Vittorio Emanuel III, King of Italy. Regarding David Lubin, we note that he was born in 1849 in Klodawa (Poland) to a family of Jewish small merchants who moved to London a few years later and then emigrated to the United States of America. He made his money by selling not expensive jewelry (chains) in a shop where he started working in Sacramento and which he later opened all over the US West Coast. David Lubin’s acquaintance with agriculture came later, in the 1880s, when he decided to invest money in grain and fruit production in California. Excessive production, low prices, and speculation by commercial intermediaries have led him to understand the importance of timely and reliable information on agriculture, while at the same time working more closely with local grain producers, fruit farmers and sellers of produce. That is why David Lubin came up with the idea of creating an international agricultural organization in response to the globalization of trade. At the inception of the institution, Italy played a major role in overseeing the ІIА commission, chaired by Senator Eugenio Fain, who later became the first president of the ІIА.
During the first few years of the ІIА, chaired by Rafael Kappelli (1910–1920), efforts were focused mainly on the establishment and organization of various departments (general statistics, agricultural developments, plant diseases, etc.) and departments. As early as 1910, ІIА specialists began to produce and publish monthly bulletins and annual statistics on agriculture in the bilingual version ‒ French and English. In 1911 a library was established. As a result of the First World War, relations between the ІIА members were partially interrupted, but the establishment continued to operate. At this time, two important events took place in ІIА activities. First, David Lubin became ill and died. Secondly, in July 1925, the ІIА was headed by an Italian, Giuseppe De Mikelis. During his reign (1925–1933), he focused on strengthening the role of ІIА in the world in the wake of the emergence of the League of Nations. In order to provide more accurate and detailed information on agriculture, the ІIА specialists have a pressing need to collect sectoral statistics (for the first time in the world). Organizational changes are taking place within the ІIА. The resignation of Giuseppe De Mikelis as President of the Institute in September 1933 coincided with the intensification of the conflict between the League of Nations and Fascist Italy. At this time, the ІIА focused on its initial mission, namely to become an international information hub, first led by Louis Spad Potenziani (19323‒1935) and soon by Giacomo Acerbo (1935‒1943), who were closely associated with Italy and international farmers.
In spite of all efforts to ensure the full restoration of the ІIА, an important event occurred at this time ‒ after a lengthy debate on October 16, 1945, at the Quebec conference, it was decided to dissolve the ІIА in order to avoid duplication of functions and formally establish FAO. The following year, the decision to dissolve the ІIА was confirmed at the Sixteenth General Assembly of Rome, held on July 8‒9, 1946, in the presence of delegates from 52 states. The ІIА officially ceased to exist on February 29, 1948, and the ІIА’s scientific heritage was highly appreciated by its successors. During the ІIА’s activities, its library performed important functions in the accumulation, processing, systematization and conservation of agricultural publications, which later became the property of the international community to obtain sectoral information contained in monographs, periodicals, statistical tables, brochures, etc. countries.
Thus, ІIА was the first international institution with experience in the agricultural sector. Given the fact that the Institute worked closely with foreign institutions, this contributed to the accumulation and generation of new knowledge within its walls. The Italian leadership understood the importance and potential of the institution and therefore provided the financial resources to attract the best professionals, which was not least to ensure its success.
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