Prime Ministers Modi and Netanyahu when the latter visited India recently.
In India there are believers. Believers in what they see happening before their very eyes. They believe in the money in their pockets that wasn’t there before and in the larger, healthier crop yields they are harvesting. New agricultural technologies have made the difference and Kalpesh Patel, a farmer in Prantij, can agree. He earlier made Rs 4 lakh growing cabbage and cauliflower on his 16 bighas of land. Today, from the same produce on the same land, he earns Rs 15 lakh. The secret to his almost tripling in income is the new Israeli hi-tech protective cultivation and precision farming method which is essentially, a tailored process of greenhouse cultivation that fits India’s needs and climate. The warm, cooperative relationship between the two countries is underscored by the Indo-Israel Agriculture agreement that was renewed between the Prime Ministers around 30 months ago. The renewal of the original agreement signed in 2008 is a clear indication that Israel delivers on what it promises. And India is not the only country to benefit from Israel’s Agriculture experience and expertise.
Both Spain and Italy both are pleased with results from the plant-based, natural pest repellant that an Israeli start-up developed and tested with their cooperation. The numbers were suitably impressive, with a reduction of 80% use of chemical pesticides and an almost 100% reduction in pests overall. EdenShield founder Yaniv Kitron, noticed that the pests that farmers despise the most for their destructiveness, thrips, whiteflies, red spider mites, and Tuta absoluta (leaf miners), were among those that stayed away from certain desert plants automatically because of their scent. Taking that into the lab, he developed an all-natural repellant that would reduce the pests significantly and as an added bonus, reduce the toxicity in the environment and plants themselves. Safe for humans and plants, but abhorrent to the pest, now that is innovation.
AfiMilk technology helps farmers track the quality of the milk and the health of the cow.
But it doesn’t stop there. In fact, when looking in to Israel’s advances in Agriculture, the many ways they have tackled the numerous blockades to productive and healthy farming can be overwhelming. Case in point, AfiMilk, which gives Israel a name in dairy, especially in Asia, a region that has just started drinking milk. AfiMilk technologies help the dairy farmer know what kind of milk is coming out of his herd. Is each cow eating enough? Does her milk have enough protein? Could she be sick? The real-time monitors produced by AfiMilk help farmers maintain quality and output, while considering the basic needs of the cow.
The AGRYbot being tested in the field.
And then there are the robots. AGRYbot is being developed in Israel to help farmers determine their potential fruit crop come harvest time. The “Robotic Sonar for Yield Assessment and Plant Status Evaluation,” or AGRYbot is a sonar system that can identify the acoustic signature of different materials or organisms in the allotted area. This feedback tells the farmer how many leaves he has on the plants and then he can estimate the possible yield. Although tests are ongoing with the prototypes, spirits are high that this project will successfully change fruit farming for the better.
miRobots creates milk “bots” to better automate the dairy industry. Dairy farming is a costly undertaking and the milking labor needed in times past was a deterrent to efficiency, productivity and the cows well-being. With the robotic arms installed as additions to the milking equipment already present, the manual labor needed to attach, milk and disinfect the teats after milking is reduced dramatically. The system is cow-friendly, environmentally friendly and helps to maintain the cow’s habits and increase milking yields.
Agricultural drones provide day to day imaging of crops which means a more precise plan of action to optimize the health of the fields. Israeli company Sensilize, is using small drones outfitted with their technology to scan the crops and send images back to the farmer in incredible, full color detail, so that decision making becomes more than an educated guess, it is educated, full stop.
From aquaculture (fish farming), to saving the bees for mutual benefit and cultivating algae for supplements, Israel has been dedicated to finding sustainable, healthier ways of providing food its whole existence as a country. In a relatively short amount of time, they have gone from transforming desert and swamp land; to offering what they have learned to any country that needs it. In fact, 13 West African states recently sent top officials to Jerusalem to discuss sustainable productivity in climates similar to Israel’s.
Israel is doing everything it can to be a good global citizen and more and more countries are joining the path that Israel has been carving out.
