- The world's most developed irrigation methods
- The world's highest reused wastewater rate
- The most advanced agriculture technologies on the international market for water heating and electricity generation
Since Israel’s early days, the country’s agriculture sector has been forced to provide its citizenry with advanced solutions. Situated in one of the world’s most arid regions, it was Israel that pioneered and led the concepts of drip irrigation, recycling, purifying and reuse of wastewater for agriculture purposes.
Based on its accumulated experience, Israel is poised to play a major role in supplying the world with cutting-edge agriculture solutions.
Agrotechnology in Israel
Israel’s agricultural sector is characterized by an intensive system of production stemming from the need to overcome the scarcity in natural resource, particularly water and arable land.
The constant growth in agricultural production is due to the close cooperation between researchers, extensionists, farmers and agriculture-related industries. These four factors develop and apply new methods in all agricultural branches. The result is modern agriculture in a country which more than half of its area is desert.
Export of Agricultural Inputs
The close cooperation between the R&D and the industry led to the development of a market oriented agri-business, that exports agro-technology solutions worldwide.
Greenhouses
The need to overcome natural restrictions of soil, water and climate has led Israel to develop greenhouse technologies that are particularly useful for high added value crops.
Greenhouses systems, including specialized plastic films, and heating, ventilation and structure systems, enable Israeli farmers to grow more than three million roses per hectare per season, and an average of 300 tons of tomatoes per hectare per season, four times the yields of open fields.
Dairy Farming
Israel’s dairy industry employs developed advanced technologies that have changed the industry. Average milk production has increased two and a half times since the 1950’s – from 3900 liters annually to an average close to 11000 per dairy cow.
Israel’s dairy exports include frozen semen; embryos for transplant, heifers advanced milking and computerized feeding systems, consultancy, and joint international project development.
Poultry Farming
Israel has developed innovations that are contributing to improved production and making the work of poultry farmers more efficient.
Breeding-The breeds that are developed in Israel are highly disease resistant, adaptable to extremes of climate and heat, characterized by a rapid growth rate, high egg production and low-fat meat.
Equipment- automatic egg collector, poultry drinking systems and durable plastic slat flooring that contribute to hygienic conditions in the henhouse.
Control systems- in order to maintain optimal conditions in the henhouse in all climatic conditions, sophisticated control systems have been developed. These systems maintain desired levels of humidity, heat, lighting, feed, ventilation and cooling 24 hours a day.
Aquaculture
The country’s semi-arid climate, characterized by a scarcity of water, required the development of an intensive form of aquaculture. Fish farming is carried out in the open sea in floating cages, and in a man-made reservoirs and ponds. Due to the lack of fresh water, fish farmers are using closed water systems for intensive farming, also, in some projects the water of the reservoirs are used for irrigation.
A wide range of ornamental fish and marine plants are bred, including coldwater fish, tropical fish and water lilies. The products are exported overseas especially to Europe.
Water and Irrigation
Israel is the world’s most advanced user of agricultural irrigation, with half of all agricultural land under irrigation.
The irrigation industry in Israel was a pioneer in developing innovative technologies and accessories like drip irrigation, automatic valves and controllers, media and automatic filtration, low discharge sprayers and mini- sprinklers, compensated drippers and sprinklers.
The Computer – controlled drip irrigation saves huge quantities of water and enables the supply of fertilizers with the irrigation (fertigation).
The innovative irrigation industry has a worldwide reputation and more than 80% of its production is exported.
Seeds
Israeli seeds and seedlings are sought after on world markets. Disease resistant seed varieties that are durable in storage and are suitable to a variety of climatic conditions are under constant development at Israel’s research institute and at private companies.
Some 40% of the tomato greenhouses in Europe utilize seeds of a tomato hybrid with long shelf life developed and produced in Israel.
Other successful developments are: seedless watermelon, resistant squash, high-yielded cucumbers, saucer- shaped yellow zucchini, a variety of hybrid cotton with longer and stronger fibres and high yield crop requiring less water, naturally colored cotton and more.
Mechanization
- Israel manufactures and exports a variety of specialized agricultural equipment, including:
- A mobile celery packing house,
- Machinery for digging silage and mixing the feed uniformly
- Poultry equipment like drinkers, automatic egg collectors, climate control systems and scales for weighing
- An air- blast sprayer for use in citrus growing and vineyards which provides an efficient cover of the tree.
- Flower bulb transplanters.
- Machinery for packing houses.
Fertilizers
Israel southern region and in particular the dead sea area, is rich in mines that provide: potassium, phosphorus and magnesium for the agricultural sector.
Some of these resources are exported directly as raw materials, while others undergo local processing and compounding to enhance their utility, effectiveness and their environmental safety.
One of the remarkable developments is the application of fertilizers through drip irrigation buried in the ground in order to ensure that less mobile components, such as phosphorous, will reach the roots directly. Other innovation is the controlled release fertilizers. These are coated in polymers to ensure slow, prolonged release and delivery via diffusion.
Slow release fertilizers allow better exploitation of the fertilizer and less groundwater pollution.
Plant Protection
Israeli companies manufacture and export pesticides and herbicides for the control of insects, fungi and weeds.
As part of the growing awareness regarding environmental protection, biological materials which are non-pathogenic to both plants and humans have been developed for treating diseases in plants. These biological materials are effective in treating diseases caused by pests, fungus and viruses in a wide range of crops.
In addition, a defoliant for cotton and herbicides for early and specific treatment of weeds have been developed.
Environmental concerns have also stimulated the development of methods to disinfect the soil, using formaline as a substitute for methyl bromide.
Turnkey Projects, Consultancy and Know-how
Increasingly, Israeli agrotechnology companies join forces and supply turnkey projects for both crop and livestock development programs.
Multiple skills, talents and experiences are enlisted to provide integrated solutions that embrace soil, water, additives, plant and livestock varieties, equipment and structures. The results are measured in improved yields produced at lower costs, a win-win situation in a resource-stressed world.