Agritech 1996

The exhibition was also memorable in another way. It was the first time that Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and countries from North Africa were represented on a formal basis. At previous exhibitions Egypt had been the only one of Israel's neighbours to be formally represented. This expanded participation represents the change in the political climate in the Middle East.

Even more significant, the exhibition demonstrated the role agricultural technology can play in the peace process. Israel now has political agreements with Jordan, the Palestinians and Egypt. The next question - how can these political agreements be translated into real, human contact. "Through agriculture, through the sharing of our technology and know-how," answered Israel's (then) Minister of Agriculture, Yaakov Tsur, addressing a meeting at the first day of the exhibition. "The stability of the peace process depends on the possibility of improving the standard of living and increasing the production of food in this area. By displaying this technology, Israel is saying that it is ready to share its discoveries and scientific achievements, ready to work together with its neighbours for the mutual benefit of all."

Agriculture is an international language, one which knows no boundaries. It is the arena in which people all over the world, struggling to wrest a living from the land, can meet, the meeting place to which Israel, by virtue of its success in developing innovative agricultural technologies and improved cultivation techniques, can bring and share its experience.

Israel, where half of the land is desert, has made an international name for itself in developing technologies that can increase agricultural productivity even when water is scarce. It has pioneered in developing systems and programs for agriculture in semi-arid and arid regions, i.e., in areas where there is a severe shortage of water. With so much to offer in this all-important field, it was no wonder that a large percentage of the exhibition was devoted to water-related topics. The list that follows includes just some of the systems and programs for saving water that Israel has developed and which were on display at the fair: Water systems combining fertilizer and irrigation systems; water filters and filtration systems; accessories for sewage water systems; installations for potable water and desalination plants for brackish water; programs for industrial water reclamation and re-use; self-regulating sprinklers and sprinkler systems; drip and micro-irrigation systems; mercury tensiometres to show how and when to irrigate and sprayers, including a revolutionary one that is mounted onto conventional tractors.

Technology is a broad term: it refers to anything which brings a higher yield - from the production of high-quality improved plant and animal germplasm, i.e., state-of-the-art propagation material and high-tech 'gene packages' in the form of seeds and embryos to the development of sophisticated climate control systems for henhouses to maintain desired levels of humidity, heat, lighting, feed, ventilation and cooling, 24 hours a day.

Not all technology is complicated or costly. Following the sign Tomato Trellising Technology, visitors were treated to a demonstration that showed how a new type of fastener can save the grower a tremendous amount of time, thus dramatically cutting labour costs. This particular fastener is a simple-to-operate device that clamps on a wire and offers a quick trigger to lengthen the supporting line as the plant grows. Another display in a greenhouse showed how netting, called thermal-reflective screening, acts as a sophisticated thermal screen, decreasing the sun's rays during the day and preventing loss of heat at night.

One of the most popular attractions at the fair was the Milk Farm. Here city children watched wide-eyed as the cows were milked - automatically of course, while their parents studied the display of sophisticated computerized systems used to determine the amount of feed the cows need, as well as to record the amount of milk they give.

The sign on the booth Integrated Pest Management (IPM) led visitors to another world. Prominent in this program is the use of the humble bumble bee to pollinate crops, especially the high yield ones grown in greenhouses. It is practically a revolution in crop pollination the way these bees can improve yields and quality while, at the same time, reducing labour costs. Using bees for natural pollination was an idea that surfaced in the mid '80s and began to be used in 1988. If you once thought that bees are only used to pollinate flowers, you are mistaken. Bees are wonderful natural pollinators for tomatoes, strawberries, eggplants, sweet peppers and even for such outdoor crops as blueberries and cherries. Natural pollination increases the shelf life of fruit, as well as its size and quality. In addition, there is a valuable environmental benefit. Since bees are sensitive to chemicals, farmers must use biological pest control systems on their crops in order not to harm their little workers. It is claimed that more than 50% of the reduction in the use of chemicals in Israel is due directly to the use of bumble bees.

Israel's agricultural technology is always looking to the future, looking to meet new needs and demands. In citrus production, for example, bowing to the demand of ecologists and environmental conservationists, Israeli fruit-growers have developed a new brand of environment-friendly fruit. "Green" fruit as it is called is grown with only a minimal use of chemicals to avoid harming the environment. As part of its policy to reduce the use of chemicals, 85% of Israel's citrus groves have now instituted Integrated Pest Management Programs which make use of natural control agents such as wasps and other insects, thus minimizing the need for chemicals.

Agritech 1996 was a great learning experience - for lay people and professionals alike. It was, however, more than just an exhibition. It was also a professional summit meeting for all who deal in the field of agriculture, in Israel and abroad. the knowledge and technology developed by Israeli scientists and agronomists, working together with farmers and extension workers, is used, not only in Israel, but marketed all over the world.

Thus Agritech 1996 was the place for making contacts, for opening new doors - for buyers and sellers. The visit to the exhibition was supplemented by organized field trips - to greenhouses where flowers, potted plants and other crops are cultivated under strict conditions of climate control technology; to kibbutzim which manufacture sophisticated systems for irrigation and fertilization; to farms practicing agroecology; to large dairy farms, equipped with modern feeding and milking centres and to agricultural research institutions - The Volcani Institute for Advanced Agriculture Research, the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

For all the visitors Agritech 1996 was a window to the world of agriculture in Israel. This is a world that is looking ahead - to joint ventures, for example, wherein which Israel will remain a huge laboratory for developing innovative agriculture technology but actual production will be done abroad, possibly with the funding from a third country. An Israeli company, for example, is currently negotiating with a seed factory in India to grow its seeds. "This type of operation," says Yitzhak Kiriati, Head of the Israel Export Institute's Department of Agriculture and member of Agritech's Organizing Committee, "is the wave of the future, a viable way of transferring our technology."