With its vast dry, desert land and shortage of natural water resources, Israel does not seem like the most obvious climate for agriculture to thrive. However, since its founding in 1948, the country has consistently been inventing agricultural technology to help improve farming all over the world. As a result, Israel has emerged as a world leader in agriculture and water management.
Among its successes are that the country records the highest cow-milk productivity in the world, the highest tomato yield, and the lowest post-harvest grain loss globally.
There are a number of reasons for Israel’s agricultural success which date back to its beginnings. Israel’s kibbutzim or moshavim are perhaps the best examples globally of well-managed, effective and organised farmer cooperation. Additionally, effective government in 1950s and 1960s devoted 30% of its national budget to agriculture and water. From the outset, there has been a continuously close relationship between researcher, agricultural workers and farmers. This is supplemented by Israel’s agro-industry which is essential to commercialise innovative solutions and make them available across world. All of these factors have meant that many developing countries are now turning to Israel to learn from their success.
Although the Negev desert in Israel is one of the driest places on earth, the team at the Weizmann Institute for Science found wild native almond trees flourishing in a dry riverbed near mount Ramon in Negev. The team proceeded to grow Ramon almond seedlings under controlled greenhouse conditions and discovered that they have an ability to resist embolisms, the tiny air bubbles that block trees water vessels. As such, these trees can tolerate drought and dry conditions much better. Such a discovery can help almond growers all over the world.
The Nitsan Sustainable development lab at Tel Aviv University is helping to assess agriculture, water and energy problems in rural parts of Asia and Africa and find Israeli technologies to help to solve such issues. Director Ram Fishman, an expert on smallholder farmers and climate change, sees potential to make the greatest difference in these developing countries. This is because millions of smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia serve huge markets but lack the resources to purchase and implement Israeli solutions as easily as American and European farmers do. He explains how “many farmers around the world look to Israel as a model of how to manage and flourish in conditions of water scarcity and a hotter, drier climate”.
Alon Ben-Gal, a researcher in water irrigation explains due to the scarcity of water in Israel, they have been forced to become extremely efficient with water, and their techniques and technologies. For example, Israeli precision drip irrigation and its associated data-analytics technologies are critical for farmers facing a drier, hotter world. Drip irrigation has traditionally been used for growing vegetables and fruits but not for field crops like rice, wheat and maize which is most frequently grown in developing countries. However, the pioneering Israeli irrigation company Netafim have developed drip-irrigation systems for rice growers. According to Netafim, “Rice grown with drip irrigation not only outproduces conventional paddy rice, but also uses 70% less water, diminishes methane emissions to almost zero, and reduces arsenic uptake by up to 90%”.
Mr Ben-Gal explains: “The world is becoming hotter and drier and we’re already hot and dry and have success in agriculture in those conditions, the world can look at our successes and mistakes”.
Israel’s agriculture and water recycling can serve as an inspiration for developing countries seeking similar transformation and success.
