Agriculture in Israel: Miracle of Israel’s Farming Technology
State
of Israel
The State of Israel is located at Northern shore (red
sea)/ south eastern shore (Mediterranean Sea).bordering Palestine, Jordan,
Syria, Egypt and Lebanon with the capital in Jerusalem the largest city. Their
official language is Hebrew however recognized languages is Arabic. Ethnic
groups include Arab, Jewish and other minority groups.
The country has diverse religions with 74% Judaism,
17%.8% islam,2 Christianity, 1.6 Druze, 4.4% others. Government operates a
unitary parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister, Knesset
speaker and chief justice.
Population is estimate in 2019 at 9,105,640 density of
1,069 7/sq. m. the currency is new shekel total GDP is $390.656 billion. The
largest city is Jerusalem followed by Tel Aviv, Haifa then Rishon LeZion. Other
cities are Ashdod, Netanya, Beersheba, Bnei Brak and Holon.
Cities
in Israel
Jerusalem
Tel Aviv
Haifa
Rishon LeZion
Ashdod
Netanya
Beersheba
Bnei Brak
Holon
Agriculture
in Israel
The country experiences hot summers, cool winter, and
semi-arid climate. Israel is self-sufficient in agriculture production because
of huge investment in agriculture technology. The farming type use two types of
agricultural settlements that a cooperative farm type system.
The two systems are communally owned collective farming
(Agricultural Settlements} and household farming village system. Household
farmers or moshav work their land however sell co-operatively.
Israel
Farming
The country generates revenue about $4 billion dollars on
field, fruit production, livestock production, poultry and seeds. They have
agricultural communities like the Moshav and Kibbutz. Irrigated crop system is
largely deployed on over 1 acre of land due to serious challenges in water
supply. Recycling of waste water is another important technique used by farmers
in the region.
Water
generation
The region features semi-arid and desert climate water is
a real challenge. Researches from a reputable university in Israel found huge
reserves of ground water. The Jordan feeds surface water in the northern
regions including coastal and mountain Aquifer from the Mediterranean Sea. The
country have invested in water generation, reuse and desalination plants.
Farming
products
Popular farm products are fruits, flowers, vegetables,
different crops. Others include coffee, poultry production, and livestock.
Fruits
The country is a major exporter of citrus fruit
worldwide. Citrus fruits are tangerines, grapefruit, pomelit, pamelo, oranges, and
grapes. More fruits are pomegranates, dates, pear, bananas, apples, plums,
strawberries, tomatoes.
New
Agricultural Products
Research and development have produced some new
agricultural products. New products include black tomatoes, mini basil tree,
galia melon, seedless peppers, Alpha Cucumber, spaghetti squash. The product
have interesting characteristic like seedless, hardiness, high anti-oxidants, delicious
taste and size. Their dairy cows produce highest amount of milk.
Fruits
in Israel
Tangerines
Grapefruit
Pomelit
Pamelo
Oranges
Grapes
Pomegranates
Dates
Pear
Bananas
Apples
Plums
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Flowers
Different types of flowers are grown on 214 hectares of
land. They export over $50 million dollars’ worth of flowers to different
countries.
Crops
Different climatic conditions support a diverse
production of crops, fish, fruits, vegetables and livestock. Grape vineyards
are spread across the country while popular fruits/vegetables include mangoes,
guava, kiwi-fruit, citrus and avocado.
In hilly regions in the north are huge pear trees, apples
while dates, bananas grow in subtropical regions. Common crops in the region
are peppers, tomatoes, melons, and zucchini.
Crops
in Israel
raw cotton
peppers
tomatoes
melons
zucchini
grape vineyards
mangoes
guava
kiwifruit
citrus
avocado
pear
apples
dates
bananas
Aquaculture and Livestock
Aquaculture is the major source of fish in Israel. Other
aquatic creatures harvested are crustaceans, shrimps, and salt/fresh water
fish. Fish culture involves submerged cages, artificial lakes. They harvest
fish from the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee, Lake Kinneret. Common fish are
salmon, trout, grass carp, grey mullet, bass and silver carp.
Popular
Aquaculture
Fish
salmon
trout
grass carp
grey mullet
bass
silver carp
Crustaceans
Shrimps
Technology
Advanced technology is the bedrock of huge production of
food products in limited land space. A Leading international event to showcase
advancement in Israel agriculture technology is held every three years.
Technology includes development of a tomato called
‘Tomaccio’, high yielding disease resistant Israel Holstein for diary milk
production. The Holsteins produces about 10,200kg per cow. Other technology
include vermiculture, advanced drip irrigation system, improved seed
production, soil conditioning.
Cutting edge technology includes thermal crop imaging,
drip and micro irrigation. Others include agricultural based software
development, plant growth control netting, new produce, improved dietary supplements,
and bio-control agents.
Technology
advancement
fertilizer
dietary supplements
bio-plastics
algae culture
new varieties of tomatoes
biodegradable material
improved packaging
thermal imaging crop mapping
biological pest control
irrigation
software development n
Land
Use
Government regulations are applied to production quotas to regulate and eradicate farm surpluses. They encourage specialization in animal health marketing, research, agriculture planning and encourage specialization. Quotas are applied to farm produce like potatoes, eggs, milk and poultry farming. Sixty five percent of open fields is used for vegetable production. Herds/vegetables account for 10%, organic produce 2%, fruit orchids ¼ of total production.
