1807
The Academy was founded in 1807 under the name of the Agricultural Society of the Reno Department, thanks to Title V of the Public Education law issued by Napoleon's government. The establishment of this association is thanks to Count Filippo Re, professor of Agriculture, holder of the first public chair of Agriculture, and Rector of the University of Bologna, who from the very beginning played a central role in its construction, operating in line with the great agronomists of the Bolognese school tradition—from Pietro de' Crescenzi to Vincenzo Tanara—"in the promotion of experiments and cultivation methods useful for the improvement of agriculture in general". Members of the Society included those who "were proven to dedicate themselves to the improvement of Bolognese agriculture" considered in the entirety of its potential value; the dense correspondence with Italian and foreign experts in the field, the continuous exchange of experiences, and also of seeds, with farmers made the Society an important center for the dissemination of theoretical-practical knowledge that, transcending the borders of the Bolognese Department, stood as an exemplary experience.
1815
The publication of the Annals of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Italy, established by Filippo Re himself, contributes to the dissemination of the results, allowing agricultural innovations to spread widely at a national level. In its scientific activity, experimentation takes on a leading role, also thanks to the availability of the Belpoggio estate in the Bolognese countryside, which the Napoleonic government assigned to the Society since its establishment, and the fixed financial allowance permanently granted to it by the administration of the municipality of Bologna. The course of the nineteenth century saw the Agricultural Society consolidate, acquiring an increasingly prominent role in the local and national scientific community, also through active collaboration with the initiatives promoted by the Agricultural Assemblies, established by the Italian Royal Government in 1866. The expansion of the scope of action and the specialization of the different disciplinary fields led to the reorganization of the members, establishing four different commissions (agronomic, technological, scientific, and economic-legal) with the aim of rationalizing the activities.
1920
The First World War corresponded to a period of stagnation in the Society's activity, worsened by further difficulties of a financial nature that reduced its scope of action, to the point of causing the suspension of the publication of the Annals until 1927. In that same year, the Society took full possession of the Belpoggio estate, thus succeeding in significantly improving its financial situation and vigorously resuming its scientific activities.
1938
Starting from July 3, 1938, the Agricultural Society assumed the name Academy of Agriculture, a name that from the following year would be integrated with the title of Royal. The fascist decades brought a phase of significant momentum to scientific activities, also driven by autarkic and colonial policies in need of new knowledge in the productive and agricultural fields, leading the Academy to play a key role in scientific studies in the sector at a national level. The Second World War, with its heavy burden of destruction, did not spare the Academy: the bombings of Bologna on January 29, 1944, almost completely destroyed the headquarters at the Cubiculum Artistarum of Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, where its activities were based. This, along with the collapse of the income from the Belpoggio estate, saw its scope of action radically shrink and the number of its members reduced to just a few individuals.
1950
The period after the Second World War saw the slow and gradual recovery of academic activities, which were definitively revived at the end of the 1950s, by which time the reconstruction of the Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio was completed. The Academy thus once again had permanent use of the Cubiculum Artistarum, restored thanks to contributions from the Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna and the Regional Institute of Agricultural Credit, dedicating it once more to public readings, while the presidency, secretariat, board room, offices, library, and archives found their place in the historic Palazzo Pietramellara, allowing the Academy to resume its normal activities.
1960
The sixties mark the beginning of the presidency of Giuseppe Medici, which lasted for 35 years, under whose leadership a period of great renewal and overcoming of past crises began: the Academy was thus recognized as having a "national" character and was granted the corresponding status. From this moment, with the academic body reconstituted, the association fully resumed its role and activities, also on behalf of various public bodies—such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Research Council—which commissioned specific studies on central issues for Italian agricultural technology and economics, thereby placing the Academy among the most advanced and attentive scientific-cultural organizations in the country in the field of technical-scientific and economic assistance for agriculture, not only in Italy.
1988
In that year, the Academy moved its headquarters to Palazzo dei Pasi, where the presidential, board, and secretariat spaces are located today, completely renovated, in addition to the offices, library, and archives. Scientific and cultural activity was strengthened, thanks to the close and renewed collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bologna, as well as institutes and centers for the study and dissemination of scientific knowledge in the agricultural and agronomic fields. Indeed, there are numerous conferences, seminars, meetings, and readings featuring key figures from the national and international agricultural world. Furthermore, during these years, the editing of the Annals continued and was revived, increasingly becoming a detailed and complete description of the numerous activities that the Academy carries out throughout the national territory, enriched by contributions of high scientific and academic value.
2015
With the new millennium, the Academy opened itself to internationalization and, on April 22, 2015, amended its Statute, becoming a Foundation in order to outline objectives and activities more suited to the demands imposed by new realities. Scientific multidisciplinarity and a strong openness toward civil society became the defining features of the Academy, which, in this way, established itself as an authoritative opinion leader in the fields of agriculture and its related sectors, such as agri-food, health, environmental protection, and consumer protection. Thus, it is not only about readings, conferences, exhibitions, and educational meetings, but also local projects, publications, awards, and collaboration agreements with the most important bodies, institutions, trade associations, and academies at a national level. The entire range of tools made available by our time thus becomes the purpose of current academic life, which is eager to provide the community with essential materials for reflection to meet the needs demanded by the complexity of today's condition.
