For the state of Israel, Oct. 7, 2023, was devastating. It has had a profound impact on every aspect of life, including, more than is realized, agriculture.
Israel has become a global leader in agriculture research and technology providing guidance to Jordan, Africa and even California. Agriculture has become a major part of the Israeli economy. Israel feeds itself and exports several billion dollars in agricultural products, all from a desert.
Israeli leadership on drip irrigation technology is widely recognized, but Israel also is blending the water with the nutrients needed by the land. In addition, Israel also is powering the irrigation system with solar energy and experimenting with salt water for irrigation.
The Oct. 7 attack took direct aim at Israel’s agriculture leadership and devastated many farming communities, including dairies, 100,000 acres of agriculture land, and vital farming equipment. The western Negev Desert, where 70% of Israel’s produce grows, was the primary target and is critical to the nation’s food security. Agriculture was not collateral damage; it was one of the intended targets.
It is instructive to look back to understand how a small, desert country became a leader in agriculture technology, intent on helping to feed a hungry planet.
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Israel is a country with limited water resources. Its climate ranges from Mediterranean in the north to semi-arid and arid in the south. Although the state of Israel was created in 1948, the desert started to bloom much earlier. The Agriculture Research Organization was founded by Yitzhak Volcani in 1921 to provide cutting edge agricultural research.
ARO’s research has focused on:
In short, agriculture predates the state of Israel.
The Volcani Center is the Agriculture Research Agency of the Israeli Department of Agriculture; the Volcani International Partnerships is their NGO. USDA has entered into a Partnership with Israel for Bilateral Agriculture Research and Development to promote collaboration among US and Israeli scientists and engineers.
On Oct, 6, 2023, Volcani and Israel were working with USDA, the Tony Blair Foundation, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and many other international partners to fight global hunger. Immediately after Oct. 7 they set up ReGrow Israel, a new organization to support Israel’s farming communities. Today, Volcani and Israel are planning to make the desert bloom all over again. They must protect Israel’s food security, help stabilize the economy of Israel, and then again turn to global hunger.
Clearly, that challenge has gotten more difficult. Hamas has made it more difficult but so has global warming, drought in the Horn of Africa, and the invasion of Ukraine, among other challenges. The point is that the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7 has had a global impact on food security.
Marshall Matz is senior counsel at OFW Law in Washington, and the is he founding chairman of the World Food Program, USA. He dedicates this op-ed to Danielle Abraham, the director of the Volcani Partnerships and ReGrow Israel.