Israel’s agro-technology industry is characterized by intensive research and development of innovative system, rooted in the need to overcome local scarcities of water and arable land . They industry’s growth arose from the close cooperation among researchers. Extension agents , farmers and agriculture related industries, cooperative efforts that led to breakthrough achievements. These in turn have fostered a market-oriented agribusiness that exports its agro-technology solution worldwide. The result is modern agriculture methods. Systems and products in a country where more than half the area is dessert
Israeli agriculture is seen as a world-class example of the ability of advanced technology to change a semi-arid land, with serious security problems, into one of the great success stories of world agriculture.
Some facts & figures :
Ø Agricultural productivity in Israel has grown by a factor of 10 since the
Ø 1950’s, while the amount of water used in agriculture has been substantially reduced, as have labor inputs.
Ø Through advanced technology, Israel has reached record highs in productivity per unit for dairy cattle, cotton, olives, and other products.
Ø Israel’s agricultural technology and broad range of know-how, has become a well-known brand-name for success in the agricultural world.
Ø Agricultural technology accompanied by Israeli management has become a sought-after product in world agriculture
Ø Israeli remains well known for breakthrough technology in advanced irrigation, greenhouse systems, vegetable seeds, plant protection and pest management, computerized monitoring and control, and more.
Ø 200 Agro-technology Exporters
Ø US$4B - Export turnover
Ø Labor Force - decreased in the last 60 years from 17% to 2.6%
Ø Cultivated Land - decreased by 20%
Ø Fresh Water Usage- decreased by 50%
Ø Product’s Value/1m3 increased from $0.5 up to $4
Ø Most exports of agricultural inputs are based on decades of development of technology and know-how, in search of solutions for Israeli agricultural constraints: scarcity of water and manpower.
Ø Scale of this agritechnology is based on Israel’s capacity for development and marketing – it is not limited by natural resources. Israeli companies sell “Israeli smarts” in the form of agricultural inputs.
Ø In most cases, exports come from innovations developed for Israeli agriculture, which has served as the testing station and the trial fields for the technology that is exported.