Projected Partnerships

Shalom's reporter spoke to him about his work.

Q. What exactly does the Projects Division do?

A. Our division is responsible for developing projects and programs abroad mainly in the fields of agriculture, medicine, community development and micro-enterprise development.

At present, we have 31 project activities in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America staffed by experts on long-term assignments. Last year we fielded an additional 185 short-term consultancies to 63 countries, both for project identification and planning, professional consultancies and policy advice.

Q. What problems do the longer-term projects tackle?

A. The main problem MASHAV tries to solve is to ensure project sustainability, even after phasing out the involvement of Israeli long-term expertise.

This is done by combining MASHAV project activities with training programs, in Israel and in developing countries, to motivate and professionally equip local experts to continue the work.

Another issue that MASHAV addresses is how to transform demonstration projects into larger sub-regional programs that, a priori, require financial support from national and international agencies outside the MASHAV network.

MASHAV operates on a multi-sectoral basis. There is an emphasis on agriculture to improve food security and enhance rural incomes. This is mainly because Israel's agriculture performs well in spite of severe land and water limitations.

Closer to home we have a demonstration farm jointly developed under a program of cooperation between Egypt and Israel. The farm is located some 70 km south of Alexandria, where fruits and vegetables under improved irrigation systems are successfully being produced, including apples (resistant to high temperature), peaches, almonds, apricots and plums.

In the same region, a joint university graduate settlement activity is being implemented, including short-term consultancies and on-the-spot courses for training young farmers. MASHAV is a partner in the upgrading of a training centre in the region.

The program with Egypt typifies the MASHAV philosophy to encourage people-to-people relationships, particularly between Arabs and Jews, for creating a more peaceful Middle East.

Another example among many is the demonstration farm being jointly developed at Yongdelian near Beijing, which focuses on vegetable growing, fruit, flowers and protected agriculture in general. This project has been so successful that a number of other provinces in China are keen to establish a similar facility with the important characteristic of peri-urban agriculture, so vital in this era.

Q. Other than irrigation, what other aspects of agriculture are stressed in these projects?

A. As I mentioned most projects have an interdisciplinary content. However, of late much of the focus is placed on farm economics and market-oriented agriculture. This is the case of our activities in the CIS, the former Soviet Union, especially in the Central Asia region. We are engaged in projects and programs in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Khyrgyzstan where we are demonstrating how technology can be applied to transform collective command economy farms into farm enterprises that can compete on the emerging freer market.

In some Asian and Latin American countries we are assisting to introduce more modern post-harvest techniques to save on spoilage and/or orient production for export. In agriculture alone, we are offering cooperation in over 25 subjects, ranging from beekeeping, aquaculture to grain storage, computer uses and micro-catchment water harvesting techniques.

We are, however, putting emphasis on irrigation and water saving techniques as well as dairy and poultry production under intensive livestock husbandry where Israel is renowned for its expertise and success.

Q. How does a longer-term project come about and how is it implemented?

A. We have, through our professional affiliate organizations (CINADCO, MCTC in Haifa, the Aharon Ofri International Study Centre and others), defined numerous ideas for potential projects. These affiliate organizations identify with the contemporary world situation in their respective fields of professional excellence.

Sometimes we initiate ideas, while usually foreign governments turn to us. Our budgets and financial resources are limited, so we have the difficult task of deciding which project gets priority. There are of course political considerations. Projects proposed involving our Arab neighbouring countries today have a high priority, though we are committed and faithful to our friends in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Other important considerations concern the economic viability and sustainability of projects and the degree to which such projects can help benefit in the long run a sizable target population.

Another consideration is the extent and commitment by a beneficiary country to be a true partner and provide the necessary infrastructure to make the cooperation successful. Priority is given to those requests that effectively provide and ensure national and local counterpart experts and support institutions. Very often the first ideas of cooperation come from graduates who participated in international courses held in Israel or participated in on-the-spot courses held in their own countries.

My division and the MASHAV affiliates try today, to the extent possible, to decide on project collaboration on the basis of need assessments undertaken through short-term specialized consultancies. We do not enter into a project activity without first engaging in a study or planning mission to assess the country's needs and analyzing whether Israel's know-how and experience is compatible with the specific challenge posed by the beneficiary country.

Q. Aside from agriculture what other long-term projects are being implemented?

A. In Latin America we have a youth movement project in Costa Rica which pays special heed to the need to create employment opportunities for the young, while in nearby Panama we have a project on technological education, where once again the need to equip people with potential professions is uppermost in the aims of the course.

Medicine is also an important topic. In Lilongwe, Malawi, we have a long- term project based in a hospital there. The project focuses on eye treatment and training local medical professionals. And here is a good example of the integrated nature of MASHAV's activities. On-the-spot courses have been held in the hospital for training African doctors and nurses, while our experts in Malawi have been used on short-term consultancies, not only in Malawi but in neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Namibia.

In 1996 one of our doctors in Malawi teamed up with two specialists flown out from the Beilinson Medical Centre in Petah Tikvah to run a mobile eye camp in northern Namibia. Within the space of 10 days they performed 282 surgical operations. Another mobile eye camp was conducted in Burkina Faso by two specialists from Rambam Hospital in Haifa (see MASHAV Newa, this issue).

Q. What will be your next post at the Foreign Ministry?

A. I'm not even thinking about it. I have such a fascinating and fulfilling job at the moment and there is so much that needs to be done. Most importantly this has been a learning experience for me. I have learned so much about agriculture, medicine and a diverse range of subjects, on the one hand, and the countries on every continent in which we implement these projects. I cannot think of another job that would be as enlightening and as rewarding.