Agriculture in Israel

Research and Development
Agriculture and the Economy
Agriculture and the Future

The history of scientific research in Israel is an integral part of the story of the return of the Jewish people to its homeland. Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), the first to actively promote the idea of a modern Jewish state in the Land of Israel, envisaged it not only as the physical home of the Jewish people, but also as a major spiritual and scientific center.

The desire to transform the land, then a barren and disease-ridden region, into a modern state was a key factor in subsequent scientific inquiry and technological development. Agricultural research dates back to the end of the 19th century with the establishment (1870) of the Mikveh Israel School. The Agricultural Station, set up in Tel Aviv (1921), eventually developed into the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), today Israel's major institution of agricultural research and development.

Agriculture in Israel is comprised of plant crops, afforestation and gardening, raising livestock, and livestock products. Diversification and growth in types of plant crops and livestock breeding has increased over time. Methods of cultivation have also improved, and Israel continues to develop more efficient forms of irrigation, greenhouses, and mechanical equipment for processing and harvesting crops.

Research and Development

The agricultural sector is based almost entirely on R&D, implemented by cooperation between farmers and researchers. Through a well-established extension service system, research results are quickly transmitted to the field for trial and implementation, and problems are brought directly to the scientist for solutions. Agricultural R&D is carried out primarily by the Ministry of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Organization. Most agricultural research institutes in Israel maintain close relations with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ensuring a continuous exchange of information with other countries.

Israel's dairy cows are, on average, the world champions in milk production, having increased the average yield per cow from 6,300 liters in 1970 to 10,000 liters today through scientific breeding and genetic testing carried out by the Volcani Institute. By harvesting sperm and ova from cattle of superior bloodlines, Israel is able to upgrade its own herd as well as share its advances in their field with other countries.

Israeli agriculturists have pioneered agricultural biotechnology, trickle-drip irrigation, soil solarization and the sustained use of industrial waste water for agriculture. These advances have been applied to marketable products, ranging from genetically-engineered seeds and biopesticides to light-degradable plastics and computerized irrigation/fertilization systems.

Israeli-designed and manufactured computers are widely used to coordinate daily farming activities, such as guiding fertilizer injection, while monitoring all environmental factors; supplying feed for livestock mixed according to tested, least-cost, best-yield proportions; and providing a temperature and humidity controlled environment for poultry. In addition, a variety of equipment designed for tilling, sowing, planting, harvesting, collecting, sorting and packing has been developed, manufactured and implemented.

Agriculture has also benefited from a broad range of general scientific research and R&D developments, including automated plant tissue culture, biological insecticides, disease-resistant strains and biological fertilization.

Making optimal use of scarce water, harsh land, and a limited labor force has led to revolutions in agricultural methods. The search for water-saving techniques spurred the development of many types of computer-controlled irrigation systems, including the drip method, which directs water flow straight to the root zone of plants. As the result of intensive research, the huge underground reservoir of brackish water under the western Negev is now being successfully exploited to produce crops such as prime quality tomatoes for European and American winter markets. Research relating to the electromagnetic treatment of water to improve animal health and crop yields is also producing promising results.

One of the earliest Israeli industrial innovations to reach international markets was the drip irrigation system, based on a concept pioneered in the 1890s by a researcher in California. In drip irrigation, water and nutrients are discharged directly to the area around the plant's root system, so that much smaller amounts can be used more efficiently. This also enables farmers to provide the precise amounts of water at the rate required by different crops. Today, the system is computer-controlled. Drip irrigation has allowed the country to develop one of the most efficient water systems in the world, which it needs badly, since it uses up virtually every drop of available water each year. Israel has also become the world's leading producer of drip-irrigation systems, exporting them to Holland, the Former Yugoslavia, Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, East Africa and Central and South America.

Israel is also a leader in the development of mechanized systems used to speed up harvesting and other operations. Locally designed and manufactured computers have been developed to coordinate farming activities; these perform functions such as guiding fertilizer injection while monitoring relevant environmental factors, or supplying feed for livestock mixed according to tested least-cost/best-yield proportions.

Agriculture and the Economy

Today, agriculture represents a mere 2.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and four percent of exports, compared to 30.3 percent of exports during the 1960s - the heyday of the famous Jaffa orange. Nevertheless, despite the decline in its importance relative to other economic branches, agriculture has grown in absolute terms and played an important part in Israel's economy for more five decades.

In 2003, the total amount of land devoted to agriculture was 4,284 thousand dunams. Field crops comprised 2,436 thousand dunams, plantations 653, and vegetables 204.

Agriculture is of major importance: in certain areas, such as the Arava and the Jordan Valley, it provides almost the sole means of livelihood for the population. In 2000, approximately 72,000 people were involved in farming, constituting about 1.7 percent of the country's workforce.

In monetary terms, Israel produces almost 70 percent of its food requirements. Israel’s total input in 2004 of resources invested in agriculture was NIS 12 billion, 33% of which was fodder, 26% other inputs, 14% depreciation, 8% water, 8% breeding material, 5% packing and transport, 3% pesticides, and 3 % fertilizers.

The country’s output of final products in 2004 was NIS 18 billion, which was made up of 24% vegetables, potatoes, and melons, 18% poultry, 4% citrus fruit, 15% other fruit, 14% cattle, 8% flowers and garden plants, 7% field crops, and 10% miscellaneous.

Agriculture and the Future

A combination of sophisticated, applied science, determination and government support have helped Israel's farmers to modernize and adapt to changing geopolitical, market and climatic conditions, creating a strong base from which to proceed in the coming decades.

Israel's agriculture continues to thrive, and supplies most of the country's food needs, though profitability in export sectors has declined sharply in recent years. Among the numerous problems the crop-growing sectors have contended with since the State was founded, water scarcity remains the principal - and growing - threat. Nevertheless the ongoing introduction of new and recycled water sources, coupled with altered irrigation methods and more water-efficient crops, promises long-term security.

By the year 2020, Israel's population is expected to grow by about a third, to 8.5 million. This will cause huge increases in demand for agricultural produce and products; but urban use of land and water will also increase enormously. The amount of fresh water allocated for agriculture was reduced radically, by 50 percent (to 580 million cubic meters), in 2000. By 2020, it is unlikely to exceed this amount, and may well be considerably less. At the same time, the amount of suitable land available for farming (360,000 hectares) will also be some 18 percent less than at present.

Part of the higher demand - notably for field crops (such as cereals, oilseeds and sugar) and for milk products, fish and beef - will have to be met by increased imports. Nevertheless a substantial part of the additional requirements will have to come from increased domestic production. Sweeping changes - like a 33% increase in the labor force and a reduction in irrigated field crops, such as cotton - will be required to make water available for growing fruit and vegetables for the local market.