Representatives from 40 countries around the world recently visited Israel to learn about the country’s agricultural innovations.
By United With Israel Staff
Representatives from 40 countries converged in Tel Aviv to learn about Israeli agricultural innovations.
Agri Israel 2019, organized by the Israeli Agriculture Ministry, Israel Export Institute, Economy Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry, presented cutting-edge speakers with live demonstrations in order to educate countries worldwide on food sustainability, water purification and conservation and more.
It was clear from the Agri lsrael website that they were prepared to welcome hundreds of companies as brochures were available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, French.
Agri Israe’sl goal is to help “tackle yield, sustainability and other challenges using fewer resources.”
Pegged the “fourth agricultural revolution,” due to the growth of Big Data, IT and IoT (Industrial Internet of Things, referring to interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices networked together to allow data collection and analysis to improve productivity and efficiency), Israel has become a leader in the use of artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, satellites, sensors, algorithms and smartphones to boost agricultural productivity and resolve many challenges facing nations worldwide.
Due to Israel’s hot and dry climate, scarcity of natural resources, years of drought which has caused severe fresh water shortages, and its desire to be more environmentally “green,” the country has placed agriculture innovation high on its agenda.
The OECD reports that Israel’s government gives 17 percent of the country’s budget towards research and development, one of the largest percentages of government funding in the world.
“Nowadays, when we see the real integration of technology into agriculture, Israel will be leading the scene as a real global player,” Lior Konitzki, Israel Export Institute vice director-general, told The Jerusalem Post. “Israeli technology is relevant all over the world, whether it is tackling water scarcity in California or precision farming in Holland.”
One live demonstration was robotic farming solutions. Tevel Aerobotics Technologies, a start-up company finding solutions to agricultural challenges, presented a fleet of drones controlled by artificial intelligence that harvest apples and oranges.
This innovation will aid farmers all over the world who face an increasing struggle to find field workers.
Other innovations included staving off dying bee populations, as bees are the world’s most important pollinators of food crops, and advanced irrigation systems that are already used in 10 countries worldwide.
“We see people coming from more than 40 countries to Israel because they understand that something is happening here, and they don’t want to miss out,” explained Dr. Michal Levy, Agriculture Ministry senior deputy director-general of agricultural innovation.