The International Society for Plant Pathology is a global nonprofit institution dedicated to “promoting world-wide plant health and food security.” ^[1][2] It was founded in 1968 and the first President of the society was the pioneer British plant pathologist, Ronald Karslake Starr Wood.^[3] The International Society for Plant Pathology is a member of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), in liaison with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).^[1][2]

The aim of its founders in 1968 was to disseminate knowledge about plant development and plant diseases and their management.^[1][2][4] The ISPP also organises the International Congress of Plant Pathology every half-decade which is sponsored by its executive committee.^[1][2] The constituent bodies of the ISPP include a general assembly that convenes every five years during the congress, a council, an executive committee, a secretariat and subject matter committees.^[1][2] At a meeting in Lancaster, UK, in 1994, it was decided to establish the "Glenn Anderson Lecture" at the congress to cover global topics like agriculture and sustainability in the developing world.^[1][2] The society also maintains the World Directory of Plant Pathologists, an initiative of Fran Fisher (University of Florida). Directories were published in 1973 and 1980.^[1][2]

Since November 1970, the Society has published the International Newsletter on Plant Pathology.^[5] In March 2009 established a quarterly journal, Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, to address global food security in low-income regions.^[6]

International Congress of Plant Pathology has been held in different cities around the world.^[2]

The following individuals have served as President of the ISPP:

• ISPP History
• Food Security Journal
• ISPP Newsletter