The Milky Way

For many years Israel has held the world record in milk production, with an average of 12,000 liters per cow per lactation, and this in natural conditions that are traditionally considered as totally unfavorable for dairy farming. One of the most productive farms is at Kibbutz Kalia, in the Biblical desert of Judea, on the shores of the Dead Sea, a saline depression 400 meters below sea level. Without a blade of pasture in view, and with a temperature of 40 degrees centigrade in the shade, the cows of Kalia, in defiance of the animal husbandry manuals, give 35 to 40 liters of milk daily. "Fortunately, the cows have not yet read the manuals and they don't know that they cannot exist," jokes a course participant. These technological successes arouse interest around the world, and it is natural, therefore, that year after year the high-level international courses offered by CINADCO receive widespread recognition and are in great demand in Latin America.

There are three main parts to the course: professional lectures (grouped by subjects, for instance: intensive handling of the cattle; nutrition; genetic improvement and breeding; animal health and economic aspects), professional tours (with visits to farms in the central region of Israel, the north and the southern desert - including training in heat stress control at Kibbutz Kalia), and the final team project, carried out by the participants on themes in which they are interested and at their initiative, with evaluation by the Israeli experts. The course also covers general topics, such as talks on Israeli agriculture, the history of the Jewish people and, inevitably, the political reality. In addition there are visits of general, cultural and religious interest: to the Holy Places in Jerusalem; to the Galilee, including Nazareth, and to the Dead Sea, including a visit to the Massada stronghold.

Evelyn Rosenthal, the course coordinator, presented me to the participants, seated with steaming cups of coffee in Shefayim's comfortable club room.

Juan Irigoyen, of Salto, Uruguay, notes: "The course focuses on Israel's problems, and this is the way it should be. We are shown clearly the obstacles that the Israelis encountered on the way, how they analyze the problems, and how they develop appropriate technology. In my opinion, the idea of the course is less the transfer of technology, and more the process of generating the technology and its application in reality. Israel's production environment is unique: there are production quotas, there are official prices and most of the cattle are communal (on the kibbutz*) or managed in a cooperative environment (on the moshav*). This form of organization has no parallel in Latin America. Israeli technology cannot be copied, but it is possible to transfer the problem-solving methods. The course shows Israeli reality as it is and stimulates us to draw conclusions and to take what is useful and applicable in our countries. It is an original and invaluable approach."

Adrian Diforti, of Argentina, comments: "I am impressed that the Israeli producer is prepared to discuss not only his technology but also his economy. In my country the producer 'keeps his milk' for himself; he is reticent and does not share his experience. Consequently, we do not have reliable data for planning and decision-making. Here, the difficulties, the attempts and even the failures are discussed openly, and the solutions implemented are of benefit to thousands of producers."

When experts from 13 Latin American countries come together around a table, naturally they begin to make comparisons. For instance, they quote the prices for the producer and they discover that there are almost no differences between Israel and the countries of Latin America. The high level of education is balanced here against the abundance of natural resources there.

"Our problems come from high up," Irigoyen says in conclusion. "Here you feel the hand of a government that has taken a decision to step up milk production. The Israeli dairy farmer knows that food production is a national objective and that he has the support of his government. In my country, unfortunately, the governments have not yet decided if we want to be a food producing country, or if we will dedicate ourselves to the tourist industry and import food."

The distinctive feature of the year 2000 course at Shefayim is that the parents of two of the participants themselves participated in courses in previous years. Zootechnical Engineer Cecilia Malarin, 32 years old, of Lurin, Peru, is the daughter of Engineer Rodolfo Malarin de Azambuja, who participated in a course in 1987. I asked her if this was a coincidence. Her answer was in the negative. "We are four brothers and sisters. We are all involved in agriculture: one is an economist, another an agronomy engineer and the third a zootechnician. Since my father was in Israel, MASHAV has become part of our family and we participate in all the Israeli projects in Peru. When the right course came up, I registered without a moment's hesitation."

Juan Irigoyen, 27 years old, is an Uruguayan agronomy engineer. "I arrived at the course through the National Settlement Institute, where I advise small producers in productive retraining. I knew something about Israel, because my father had been here on a rural extension training course when I was 13, and from then on we always talked at home about Israel. However, I never thought that in the year 2000 I myself would be at Shefayim, following in my father's footsteps. Here I met his friends and I was able to learn about sides of my father that I did not know existed. I have no words to express the emotion I feel, and I would only like to show my gratitude some day.

"Here I see at the more personal level that the friendship between Israel and Latin America is something real, tangible, existing. The fact that we are here is worth for more than any words. Israel's support of the countries of Latin America reflects a genuine, long-term decision implemented quietly and continuously over several decades. I am very impressed by this capacity to take a decision and to implement it over successive generations. This is a new experience for us, because we are accustomed to projects that start with a bang and end with a whimper because the budget has come to an end. MASHAV's aid is very serious, very sustained, and the only aid that has helped us lastingly. My only wish is for it to continue."

Email from a 1987 course participant to a year 2000 course participant: