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Agricultural Study Tour to Israel

Our delegation toured
1. The Volcani Center, https://www.vipartnerships.org
A visit to Volcani International Partnerships, an NGO set up in 1926 reveals the success story of Israel.

The Volcani Center’s overriding mission has been to serve the needs of the Israeli farmer and Israeli agriculture. This is built into the promotion structure and Volcani’s scientists are not only evaluated on the quality of their research but also how applicable their results are, and the extent to which they contribute to agriculture development. For example, researchers are measured based on variables such as how many varieties are given to farmers; how much they contribute to protect plants from diseases and gains from increased water efficiency. As a result, there is an overwhelming focus on applied research and scientists commonly respond to specific demands from farmers.

The Volcani Center comprises one main campus and two regional research centers – one in the north and one in the south. Today there are 200 scientists working in a system built around six research disciplines: plant sciences, soil and water, post-harvest, plant protection, animal sciences and agricultural engineering. This structure is important and enables Volcani to take a multidisciplinary approach to solve problems (more on this in the next chapter). This agricultural research system is also supported by eight local R&D centers whose role is to take the innovations from Volcani and adapt them for the local context. These local centers are run by the regional councils as part of the local authority, but Volcani appoints a lead scientist to oversee each center. Volcani also has a dedicated unit for royalties and technology transfer.

How Israel became a world leader in agriculture and water

Israel has limitations and does not present sensible place for agriculture. 30% is nearly desert or considered semi-arid or arid and volcanic poor quality soil. There is a shortage of natural water resources, a scarcity of precipitation and Israel is far from key export markets. Most early immigrants tasked with developing the land had no prior farming experience and on arrival faced a barren and swampy landscape.

Despite such overwhelming challenges, in its short history Israel not only managed to create a remarkable agricultural transformation, securing national food security and establishing thriving export industries, but also emerged as a global leader in agriculture and water management. How did it succeed?
Unsurprisingly, Israel’s agricultural success against all reasonable odds has generated great interest.
Many government representatives of developing countries visit Israel in search of advice and support, asking, “what can we (Africa) learn from Israel’s story and what can Israel offer?”

Israel is a unique country whose history, politics and geography shaped the mindset of its people and its leaders. Nonetheless it offers many valuable insights and practical lessons. Many African nations, in particular, are still awaiting an agricultural revolution that historically has proved crucial for the development, food security and large-scale poverty reduction of advanced and fast-developing countries across the world.

Volcani through a very Israel’s Agriculture Sector
Israel is a world leader in agriculture and water management, as reflected in key statistics.

PRODUCTION ACHIEVEMENTS
- Israel records the highest productivity of cow milk in the world at 13,000 litres per cow compared to 10,000 litres in North America and 6,000 litres in Europe.
- It produces 262 tonnes of citrus fruit per hectare, compared to 243 tonnes in North America and 211 tonnes in Europe.
- Israel’s tomato yield is 300 tonnes per hectare, compared to an average of 50 tonnes per hectare worldwide.
- And it is a world leader in the production of fruit such as pomelit, pomegranates, nectarines, plums, dates, strawberries and avocados.
- The country also leads in post-harvest handling: it records 0.5 per cent of grain storage loss, compared to 20 per cent worldwide.

EXPORT STANDING
- In 2018 Israel exported $350 million worth of vegetables
- $250 million worth of dates, avocados and mangoes
- $215 million worth of fruit juices
- $193 million worth of citrus fruits
- $188 million worth of processed food
- $151 million worth of seeds
SEMI-ARID AND ARID AGRICULTURE
Realising a flourishing agricultural sector in desert conditions and reversing trends of desertification is one of Israel’s greatest agricultural achievements. More than 40 per cent of the country’s vegetables and field crops are grown in the desert. The vast majority of exported melons – some 90 per cent – are grown in the Arava (the Jordan Valley desert).

The desert is also home to fish farms, olive groves, vineyards, date palms and crops for alternative industries. One such example is jojoba. Israel’s desert is now the biggest producer and distributor of jojoba, a crop that produces oil for the cosmetic market. With an average harvest of 4,500kg of seeds per hectare, Israel’s jojoba accounts for nearly 50 per cent of overall global production.9

OVERCOMING WATER SHORTAGES
Israel has only 90 cubic metres of internal renewable water per capita annually, compared to 1,300 in Germany, 2,200 in the United Kingdom and 8,700 in the United States. However, Israel is now a world leader in water management for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes.

Elements that laid the foundations for Israel’s agricultural transformation:
1. Ideology and Consequent Embrace of Agriculture as a National Mission
2. Israeli Pioneer Mindset
3. Historical Inheritance

THE EMBRACE OF AGRICULTURE AS AN IDEOLOGICAL MISSION
The Jewish people were originally farmers. The Bible and Jewish calendar reveal how Jewish theology is tied inextricably to agriculture and the land; from Biblical farmers Cain and Abel, to the Jewish holidays that celebrate the first fruits and agricultural harvests of each season. Inspired by strong socialist impulses from Russia, they sought to reestablish the Jewish nation in the Land of Israel and most importantly, to reclaim the status of the Jewish farmer by embracing agriculture as a national mission. So strong was this philosophy that it galvanised an intellectual cadre of young European immigrants with no prior farming experience to immigrate to the harshest of environments and develop the land. They believed there was no higher aspiration.
This goes a long way to explain the perseverance displayed by the early pioneers, the overwhelming commitment of Israel’s political leaders to agricultural development and the socialist elements of Israel’s nascent population. Specifically, it also explains two key aspects of Israeli agriculture: collective farms – the kibbutzim19 and the institutional effort to study agricultural development.

PIONEER MINDSET
As the pioneering immigrants arrived in Palestine they were met by harsh and unfamiliar conditions. Parts of Israel’s coastal plain and the upper Jordan Valley were swampy, the Judaean mountains were rocky and the south was arid at best, desert at Arabs, and by 1950 literacy among Jewish people in Israel was 100 per cent compared to just three per cent among Arab women. Yet despite these colonial advantages, the huge investment and the dedication of Israel’s early pioneers, Israel started from a difficult place.

These underlying elements of Israeli agriculture set the foundations for the six key factors that enabled Israel to succeed:
1. Strong leadership and government commitment to agriculture
2. Effective government
3. Innovation: approach to problem solving
4. Farmer organisation
5. Market-led approach
6. Support from abroad
The remainder of this report focuses on each of these in turn.

It is not impossible until it is impossible

Israeli’s visible strategies for success

1. EXTENSION SERVICES
Israel’s extension service was officially established as a professional service in 1955. There was a clear understanding that to achieve Israel’s mission things had to be done differently. The government knew that the pioneers needed training and support,
otherwise they would likely leave the settlements due to the harsh conditions and the Israeli project would fail. So the best performing farmers were engaged as extension workers to teach others. Ben-Gurion encouraged the second generation of the pioneers of moshavim to become counselors to new communities.

The government made extension a priority and committed the funding. As a result of such strong government support, Israel has a relatively high number of extension workers. In the 1950s and 1960s Israel had one extension worker for every 50 to 80 farmers. Today, this ratio is lower: Israel’s Extension Service is comprised of 136 people, with two to five consultant specialists per crop, serving approximately 15,000 farmers, a ratio of around one worker for every 110 farmers. By comparison, in many African countries this ratio stands at one per 3,000 farmers.

Israel’s Extension Service has several other characteristics that fostered its success:
• Specialisation
• Empowered Extension Workers
• Close Contact with Farmers
• Collaboration and Messaging
• Connection to Research

2. WATER MANAGEMENT
Another element of success for the Israeli Agriculture sector is water management. Ben-Gurion (Founder of state of Israel and first Prime Minister) initiated major investment in the water sector in 1952, another major reform he introduced was the Water Law of 1959. This defined water resources – including drainage water - and made them public. This has proved essential in distributing water resources efficiently across sectors.

This has been the key to success in Israel’s water sector and allowed for long-term strategic decisions to be taken over the years. For example, farmers in the desert region had started to use saline water for their cotton and vegetables. They had no alternative. Therefore, the government took the decision to set up a special budget to research how crops could use effluent water. Today most of Israel’s agriculture uses effluent water and Israel is a world leader in its use.

3. MINISTRY OF THE ECONOMY AND THE INNOVATION AUTHORITY
Another critical function played by the government and which underpins the agriculture sector is the investment in industry. The private sector is a key element of the success of Israel’s agriculture sector.

For example, many kibbutzim (farming communities or corperatives) invested in the plastics and packaging industry in order to supply their packing houses. A suitable packaging industry was a crucial element in the success of Israel’s agriculture sector because without it, it could not deliver its produce - whether fresh or not - in good quality to its targeted markets, both export and domestic. This is one of many examples that reflect the importance of the link between agriculture and industry in Israel. The Ministry of Economy is key to ensuring a suitable enabling environment for agribusiness.

Although set up in 2012, it’s worth flagging that the Ministry of Agriculture - like most other ministries - now includes a dedicated department for planning, economy and strategy. These departments are mandated to manage the government’s strategy for each sector. It has three long-term targets for agriculture:
1. Keep fresh agricultural produce share in line with population growth
2. Maximise efficiency
3. Keep Israel as a lead agtech nation.

4. Innovation:
Approach to Problem Solving

Israel’s innovation is central to its success in agriculture and water management. It provides solutions to problems faced by farmers and private actors along the value chain and continually develops new opportunities for the sector.

The innovation approach is rooted in Israel’s agricultural research and extension system. The institutional set up of the government in this area – the golden triangle plus private industry – serves as heart of the Israeli agricultural innovation ecosystem. This model illustrates how the needs of the farmer are the focus of all the players. It shows how challenges, ideas, knowledge and solutions are constantly communicated between all players.

Moreover, given Volcani’s connection to the Ministry of Agriculture, it also shows how the farmer has direct access to the government. Volcani is a core government agency as an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture and Volcani’s researchers lead the way working hand-in-hand with extension workers, farmers and the private sector.

This structure and interaction enable four key elements of the agricultural innovation system. First, it ensures that the innovation system works on the right problem.

Farmers can communicate their problems directly to all parties. Second, it enables the development of an appropriate solution. Volcani researchers and regional R&D centers work together on the solution, hand in hand with extension workers and farmers. Third, the model contains a built-in adaptation function through the regional R&D centers. Spread across a small, but ecologically diverse country, the regional R&D centers adapt solutions to local conditions. Fourth, the structure and interaction lay the foundation for effective dissemination and high adoption of the new innovation. Many developing nations often ask, ‘how do you convince the Israeli farmer to try a new innovation?’

5. Farmer Organisation
A further factor of Israel’s success is the organization of farmers into larger units from the outset. Most Israeli agriculture was organised through farmer cooperatives - either via the kibbutzim, the moshavim or private farmers under the Farmer’s Federation of Israel. In the 1940s and 1950s approximately 40 per cent of agriculture was through kibbutzim, 40 per cent through moshavim and 20 per cent through private agriculture. This is different in many developing countries, particularly in Africa, where few farmers are organised and even fewer in well managed farmer organizations.
Israeli economist Shaul Zaban explained why farmer cooperatives are important: “If you have many small farms growing grains, they will be in poverty all their lives. Staple food must be grown in big farms. Small holders cannot survive, unless they are focused on income and are connected to big units of production. In addition, if farmers don’t control the value chain, they will miss out on technological improvements because the traders will push their price down as far as it can go. It is important to be able to move up in the value chain and for this, the bargaining power of farmers is essential. The question is then how do you increase farmer bargaining power: you need to be in a bigger unit of activity.”

The Kibbutz is the most extreme form of cooperative. There are 284 kibbutzim in Israel today. They were funded and supported by the government who provided land, water and basic infrastructure. An equal proportion of land plots of around 3 to 6 hectares were allocated to each family, and each kibbutz had around 150 families. The land was not owned by the families, but by the kibbutz. In the early stages, each family was told what to grow and in what quantity, and each family’s produce was aggregated for the kibbutz members to sell. The income belonged to the kibbutz, as did all the assets and possessions of the families
living on the cooperative. In the early stages, it was an extreme social experiment. Today, families own their possessions, but the land remains communal.

The unit of production in the moshav is the family, not the cooperative as in the case of the kibbutz -and this often led to land sewn with the same crop being less congruous. So the kibbutzim benefited from larger-scale agriculture of the same crop. The kibbutzim also proved better at investing in alternate sources of revenue beyond agriculture, such as fuel trading, manufacturing, mining, hotels and car leasing - allowing a diversified source of revenue during a tough period. The moshavim tend to be focused solely on agriculture.

There are 440 moshavim in Israel today, and the proportion of non-cooperative farmers is small because many non-cooperative farms have been sold for real estate. Israel is a densely populated country and real estate prices are high. Over the years there has been a lot of land consolidation through a mix of the land market and policy incentives. The average farm size is now 16 hectares.

In the 1970s planning quotas ended and the kibbutz movement set up eight regional cooperative bodies. These are supported by joint assets such as regional packing houses, marketers and distributors. These regional bodies also provided financing. They fed into a national representative kibbutz entity that carried out functions such as purchasing fuel and car leasing for all the kibbutzim. This was essential to step up exports.

There are two nationwide farmer associations in Israel. The Israel Farmers Federation Association is the umbrella organisation primarily for farmers that includes kibbutzim and moshavim; while the Farmer’s Federation of Israel represents non-cooperative private farmers. The cooperatives are also part of farmer associations for key crops, such as dairy, dates and apples - and these report to the umbrella organisation (FFI). To some extent the cooperatives suffered from issues of trust, and wherever issues arose, it was success through profit and money - and the link to markets - that united members of the cooperative.

2. Eshet Elion https://eshet.co.il
Eshet Eilon has amazing immense industrial strength creating solutions with lasting human touch. Eshet Eilon, established in 1935, provides a full range of turnkey post harvest
solutions. Dumping systems, hot water treatment, dirt removal, waxing and drying, sorting and grading as well as packing. In conjunction with conveying systems, Eshet Eilon designs and manufacturers modular sorting systems, applying the latest available technologies insuring reliability safety and dependability. Our turnkey solutions, developed and designed for a variety of industries, are made to order based on our customers specific needs.

Presentations on cutting edge innovative sorting and conveying systems for fresh produce, conveying quality into the future Combined solutions, simple and user friendly built to order... With a Human Touch

All of our products are designed and manufactured by Eshet Eilon, with love, care and maximum attention to the smallest details, and reliable and friendly technical support teams are on call at all times, keeping in touch with our customers and providing long-term support.
Eshet Eilon turnkey solutions are in use in over 30 countries worldwide, in North America, South America, Africa, Europe and East Asia. With tens of years of agricultural experience and extensive and advanced technical knowledge in post harvesting systems, Eshet Eilon’s engineers are prepared to handle any challenge and design the most effective and fruitful solutions.
As part of creating solutions under varying and changing conditions, Eshet Eilkon’s experienced and creative R & D team is very active not only in solving problems, but also in looking to the future and the industry’s anticipated requirements as to produce handling, automation and laborsaving innovations, as well as quality sorting, using advanced optical and mechanical systems.
1. Eshet Speedy Roll - High Speed Roller Grader
2. Pomegranate Grader
3. Combination Grader
4. Special Washers:
5. The stainless Steel Revolution for sanitation

3. Visit to AfiMilk Dairy Kibbutz managed by https://www.afimilk.com
Afi Farm prides itself as an entity that’s creating the future of Dairy!
- Founded in 1977 at the time of SAE Afrikim in Kibbutz.
- 43 Years of innovation, 250 employees worldwide, Headquartered in Israel and operating in 52 countries
- Afi Milk offices are in 7 countries
- The Kibbutz visited had 1300 dairy cattle, 933 are milked daily
- The farm produces 12 million liters of milk annually
The farm offers cow monitoring, farm management, software and parlor automation

MASSIVE INNOVATIONS
- The first electronic milk meter in the world in 1978
- In 1981 the first use of conductivity mastitis detection
- In 1984 First Commercial heat detector – pedometer
- 1993 – 2000 the first integrated milk point controller
- 2008 first in-line milk analysis
- In 2013 First 2 way wire cow activity monitoring system
- In 2017 Afi Milk acquires Scottish company silent Herdsman, a specialist in cow sensors technology
- In 2018 Launch of Afi Farms 5.3 with Afi GO Pro mobile app
- In 2020 Afi Collar 0 integrated system for milking and cow monitoring using an advanced neck collar