Agricultural Tourism
by Simon Griver
Agricultural tourism is a worldwide trend which offers city
dwellers a chance to escape urban concrete and re-discover their rural roots.
In addition visiting farmers, agronomists and other agricultural experts can
evaluate worldwide developments in agriculture, which have been greatly
influenced by modern technology.
According to Yitzhak Kiriati, director of the agriculture
department at the Israel Export Institute, this is especially true in Israel,
which is a world leader in applying high-tech systems to agriculture.
"From computerized irrigation systems which also distribute
fertilizers," he explained, "to new genetically developed varieties
of seeds and livestock, Israeli researchers and farmers have successfully
produced world record yields in many sectors. The greenhouse has also been
adapted to arid conditions enabling the farmer to design his own climatic
conditions."
But first and foremost Israel is the Holy Land and before
checking out the country’s leading edge developments, agricultural tourists
may wish to see how the land was farmed in biblical times. At locations like
Ein Yael and Sataf near Jerusalem,
Neot Kedumim between Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv and Kfar Kedem in the Galilee, visitors can see the terraced
hillsides and irrigation channels that farmers built thousands of years ago.
If tourists time their visit right at these places they may be allowed to
stamp on grapes to make wine, press olives to produce oil or grind wheat for
bread.
Four of the seven biblical species – grapes, olives,
dates, and wheat (the others are barley, pomegranates and figs which still
grow wild) form major agricultural industries today. Tourists can travel The
Wine Route and The Olive Route through the Mate Yehuda and Yoav regions to the
south-west of Jerusalem visiting (and sampling at) a series of small wineries
and ancient and modern oil presses. Dates are grown in the Dead Sea region and the Jordan Valley where farming began thousands of years ago. Also
worth visiting is the Dagon Museum in Haifa which exhibits the history of grain growing from earliest times until today.
Those wishing to see how the country’s pioneers
established its modern agricultural infrastructure can visit the museum at the
Dubrovin Farm, established in the late 19th century in the Upper Galilee’s Hula
swamp and the Museum of Pioneer Settlement at Kibbutz Yifat, which depicts
farming life in the region in the 1920’s.
Some 80% of Israeli agricultural output is still produced
in the country’s socially innovative farming villages: the kibbutz – a
collective where all income is shared equally; and the moshav – an
agricultural cooperative where purchases and marketing are undertaken on a
joint basis. Israeli agriculture can best be seen during a stay at one of
these villages. The Kibbutzim have a network of guest houses which offer
luxury hotel accommodations, while most moshavim have bed and breakfast
accommodations.
At Binyamina, between Tel Aviv and Haifa, tourists can
visit the citrus packing station and the surrounding groves. Citrus was the
classic staple of the country’s modern agriculture. Israel still exports
$200 million worth of citrus, annually, mainly oranges and grapefruits, and
the landscape around Tel Aviv is dominated by citrus groves which exude a
delightful fragrance in the spring. As with many fruits and vegetables grown
in Israel, genetic engineering has enabled farmers to improve yields while
using less water; grow citrus varieties that are more resistant to disease,
ripen earlier or later in the season according to market demands; and offer a
longer shelf life and storage attributes, and of course a better taste.
Moreover, Israel has set culinary trends in Europe by introducing new fruits
such as the avocado and the persimmon.
Kibbutz Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea shows visitors how Israel has transformed the desert. Israel
excelled in developing tomatoes, cucumbers and melons grown in the winter in
the country’s southern regions. In the case of tomatoes and melons, it was
discovered that using highly saline geo-thermal waters creates sweeter
varieties, while innovative strains of tomatoes – cherry tomatoes and
tomatoes on a vine (eaten like grapes) – have proved popular with European
consumers.
Cucumbers and tomatoes as well as peppers are grown in
greenhouses with much higher yields. These can be established on inhospitable
terrain and enable the farmer to create his own computer controlled
environment, regulating heat, light, humidity and irrigation. Flowers are also
best grown in greenhouses where yields can be treble that of conventional
fields. Last year Israel exported $300 million worth of flowers. Other Israeli
innovations include strains of colored cotton and types of cotton that require
less water.
Of course irrigation has been the key to Israel’s
agricultural success. The National Water Carrier transports water from the
north with its relatively high rainfall to the arid south of the country.
Furthermore, the Israeli invention of drip or precision irrigation has enabled
small amounts of water to go a long way. Israel exports more than $250 million
of irrigation equipment annually.
Israel also has much to offer in livestock rearing. Most
cowsheds on the country’s kibbutzim and moshavim are computerized parlors
where the average cow produces 10,198 kilograms of milk per year – easily a
world record. The country is also a market leader in poultry with high
egg-laying yields and Israelis are the world’s largest per-capita consumers
of turkey meat. Israel has also become the world’s second largest producer
of ostrich meat (all of which is exported), and large quantities of fish are
raised in ponds.
Agricultural tourists may also want to visit R&D
institutions like the Ministry of Agriculture’s Volcani Center near Tel Aviv
and the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture near Rehovot.
With agricultural exports of $1.4 billion in 1997 and an
additional $1.5 billion in overseas sales of agricultural inputs like
irrigation equipment and fertilizers, Israel has much to offer the world in
farming know-how. Agricultural tourism is an effective way to tap into that
know-how.
Sources: Israel Magazine-On-Web, May 1999,: Israeli
Foreign Ministry |