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Extensions and Affiliates:
Institute for Agriculture & Applied Biology
(Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
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African Market Garden Program
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The Institute for Agriculture & Applied Biology in Beer Sheva was established to provide the scientific
basis for sustainable agriculture and afforestation in Israel's Negev Desert, the semiarid region
comprising 60% of Israel's land area.
Over time, research at the Institute has clustered around two main scientific topics:
Utilizing saline groundwater for direct irrigation of economically valuable plants (fruits, vegetables,
ornamental and industrial crops, etc.)
Introduction and domestication of plants from other regions in order to evaluate their potential
contribution to the development - economic or environmental - of the region.
The recurring images of drought and famine that periodically dominate the media stimulated
Institute scientists to ask themselves what aspects of their experience are relevant to the countries
of the developing world where desertification causes a constant decline in land productivity.
IPALAC - the International Program for Arid Land Crops - is the end product of that process.
IPALAC is based on the two approaches used in the Negev - introduction and domestication
of appropriate plants.
The definition of "appropriate plants" depends on many factors, including climate, access to
water sources (including rainwater), soils, policy (e.g. land tenure), infrastructure (availability of
roads, electricity, research/scientific support, credit) and markets.
With this approach in mind, IPALAC began looking for partners who shared the view that the
wealth of the plant kingdom was barely being tapped in the semiarid and arid zones of the
developing world. These partners included scientists and researchers from the countries in
question, non-governmental organizations, and UN and other agencies whose mandate is to
improve the lot of mankind.
MASHAV has played a key role in IPALAC's development. For many years it sponsored a general
course on Arid Land Crops and Technologies, and in recent years has been funding two more
focused activities - a course/workshop on Trees for Arid Lands, and a course on Cultivation
of the Date Palm. In addition, MASHAV has funded fact-finding and project development
missions for IPALAC members to Africa and specialized training for IPALAC collaborators in
Israel. In line with IPALAC's emphasis on coalition building, the Government of Finland and
UNESCO have been par tners with MASHAV in financing some of these activities.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Institutes for Applied Research
International Program for Arid Land Crops
Coordinator: Arnie Schlissel
P.O.B. 653
Beersheba 84105
Website: http://www.bgu.ac.il/IAR/IPALAC.htm
E-mail: ipalac@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Tel: 972-8-6461905
Fax: 972-8-6472984
Next: Extensions and Affiliates: Israel Meteorological Service
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