Many young Polish scientists have gained expertise in the area of agricultural crop irrigation while attending MASHAV courses in Israel over the years. These participants acquired a new approach to water and the water-plant-soil relationship. Since problems concerning modern agriculture are similar in various countries, the idea of possible cooperation between scientists from Israel and Poland arose in recent years. The combined efforts of professors from Universities of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture in Poland and their counterparts in MASHAV and CINADCO resulted in the First Polish - Israeli Conference on Water Requirements and Irrigation Effects of Plants Grown in Arid and Semiarid Climates, held at CINADCO's International Training Center at Kibbutz Shefayim, north of Tel Aviv, from December 5-16, 1997.
There, 29 participants from Poland presented results of their research on supplemental irrigation of various crops grown in Poland. In turn, Israeli scientists also presented research papers and accompanied their guests on field trips. The highlights of the Conference were published in a protocol that stressed the possibility of further cooperation and exchange.
Almost four years later the Second Polish-Israeli Conference on Water Resources Management and Irrigation of Cultivated Plants was held at the Warsaw Agricultural University, from October 22-27, 2001. The two Conferences together have proven fruitful for cooperation on both sides.
During the most recent Conference a wide range of papers were presented and discussed. As a result, the following main topics were selected for future joint research.
- Water use management in agriculture related to climate change
- Efficient use of low quality water in irrigation
- Optimizing irrigation and fertilization practices in agriculture
- Controlled environment agriculture (greenhouses)
- Crop response to biotic and abiotic stress
- Present and future use of information in agriculture
In addition to the scientific sessions, participants visited several research establishments: the Land Reclamation and Grassland Institute in Falenty, the Pomology and Floriculture Institute and the Vegetable Institute in Skierniewice, Biebrza National Park. Especially moving for the Israeli guests was a visit to the Concentration Camp Museum at Treblinka, commemorating the Holocaust.
The chief organizers of this Conference were Professors Somorowski, Jeznach and Pierzgalski of the Faculty of Environment Engineering and Land Improvement of Warsaw Agricultural University. Our guests from Israel included Professors A. Hadas, R. Wallach, A. Manes, Z. Plaut, A. Nadler, A. Shaviv, G. Oron of the Volcani Center, the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, and Dipl. Otto Nagler as a representative of MASHAV and CINADCO.
Both Conferences were the result of the efforts of numerous people, but we owe special gratitude to Yitzhak Abt, former Director of CINADCO, Zvi Herman, Director of CINADCO, Professor Samuel Pohoryles, of the Peres Center for Peace, and Dipl. Eng. Otto Nagler, Prof. Lebanon, Raanan Katzir, and S. Manor as representatives of CINADCO and MASHAV.
It was found that despite climate differences, great similarities exist in problem areas and their possible solutions through technology in agriculture. It should also be emphasized that much of the information and knowledge acquired during both Conferences could benefit other, neighboring countries. Both countries agreed that it would be of mutual benefit to continue holding joint conferences, seminars, workshops, as well as exchange of scientists.
Growing Connections
by Yitzhak Abt
A Symposium on Biotech for Agriculture in the 21st Century was held in Warsaw on May 7-9, 2002, under the aegis of the Polish Academy of Agriculture, and was attended by many prominent Polish agricultural scientists and six visiting practitioners and scientists from Israel.
The Andreas Agriculture Trust of the Peres Center for Peace, which played an active role in the symposium, is another body dedicated to peace building acts in the fields of agricultural and rural development. Its main activities are devoted to regional agricultural projects and programs in the Middle East. It is developing partnerships with countries outside the region, which serves to enhance these activities between former adversaries for mutual benefit.
The Government and the private sector of Poland have been supportive of this endeavor, especially in the fields of environmental sustainability and hi-tech agriculture.
The subjects covered during the few days of the Symposium included:
Biotechnological Revolution, Genetic Engineering, Aspects of Agro-Biotechnology, The Challenge of International Cooperation in Integrated Crop Management, Phyto-Monitoring of Soil-Water Plant Integration, Ecological Engineering for Water Protection, Post-Harvest Care Technologies, and Biotechnology for Sustainable Plant Protection
Prof. Samuel Pohoryles described the global implications harnessing biotech to enhance farm production. He foresaw this process as a continuation of the green revolution that has taken place since the late 1950s. Prof. Pohoryles was awarded on this occasion a highly esteemed Polish order of merit in a special ceremony hosted by the President of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski, for his unique contribution in enhancing Polish-Israeli cooperation for both mutual benefit and for that of the Middle East region.
Prof. Ilan Chet, President of the Weizmann Institute, gave a lecture on the role of Biotechnology for Agriculture, illustrated with examples of current research to breed crops resistant to soil-borne diseases and water stress. He also offered a number of fellowships for doctoral and post-doctoral studies at the Weizmann Institute for any outstanding Polish scientists interested in studying in Israel.
Prof. Yuri Ton, the Chief Scientist at Phytech, described the latest technological achievements, and the application of phyto-monitoring for water and heat stress in plants, both for open field and greenhouse agriculture. Mr. Yitzhak Abt, a consultant to the Andreas Agricultural Development Trust and to MASHAV, related his lecture to the challenge facing transitional economies to break the vicious circle of uneconomic farm sizes, discussing the move from subsistence to highly specialized agriculture. Dr. Aryeh Szeskin placed emphasis on post-harvest technologies that need to be met in order to export high-value produce.
This Symposium continued the common interests encountered between scientists of both countries and to scientific cooperation for the benefit of global agriculture.