Istituto agronomico per l'oltremare

The Istituto agronomico per l'oltremare (IAO) (Overseas Agronomic Institute) in Florence, Italy, is a technical and scientific body of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After the Second World War, the institute shifted its focus to the technical assistance to the Italians migrating to Latin America on agricultural topics.

[5] The IAO mandate is to study, train, advise, and support initiatives dealing with tropical and sub-tropical agriculture and environmental protection.

It participated in the elaboration of agricultural settlements plans, as well as in the training and technology transfer to Italian farmers and their families settling in the colonies.

Such laws established the development co-operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, collaborating with other scientific and technical institutions, in Italy and abroad.

Since 1974, Prof. Nicola Matarrese, following the plenipotentiary Minister Ernesto Mario Bolasco, gives a decisive contribution in shaping the future development of the activity of the Institute in the framework of laws already in processing and then issued as indicated above.

The continuous adaptation of the IAO to new situations and activity enhancement allowed the expansion of the collaboration network and presence of the Institute in forums where agricultural development and natural resources conservation topics are debated.

At the same time, the digital classification of the institute's documentation was undertaken and internet tools, enabling a wider dissemination of the rich information heritage of the IAO, were established.