International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

Israel, the Biblical holy land, known for its rich culture and infrastructure, was established on May 14, 1948. Jews from all over the world converged on Israel and developed the country with a missionary zeal. Despite having geographical conditions that do not favour farming, Israel has managed to script a success story in the field of agriculture. India, an ancient land with centuries of knowledge, expertise and experience in various fields coupled with its rich natural resources is a force to reckon with. It was with the intent of sharing the best practices and technical knowledge that in 2006 the Israeli and Indian Agriculture Ministry signed a long-term cooperation and training deal. The deal has since been supervised by field experts from MASHAV; an international development programme of Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Agriculture in Israel is a highly developed industry, despite the fact that Israeli geography does not favour farming and is not naturally conducive to it. More than half of the land area is a desert. Climate conditions and lack of water resources are unfavourable factors. Over half of Israel’s saline soil was arid or semi-arid. Only 20 per cent of the total land was arable. Israel took the challenge chin up and soon tripled the area used for farming. The production multiplied 16 times. Today, Israel produces 90 per cent of its own food requirements. It is a major exporter of fresh produce and a world leader in agricultural technology.

With small and big tunnels of greenhouses and long series of greenhouse tunnels, agriculture in Israel is like an industrial produce. Half of Israel’s total agricultural produce includes fruits and vegetables. Israeli greenhouse tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, herbs, pepper, melons are of the highest international standards. Cactus plants are also grown to cater to food security. Oranges, grapefruits, apricots, grapes, peaches, mangoes, plums, dates, lemons, apples, and pears are major fruits. Another fruit that is grown is mandarin – a very sweet fruit that is seedless and with thin skin. Israeli potatoes are also of very high quality. Successful use of drip irrigation is a major contribution of Israel in agriculture. Through drip irrigation, water goes directly to roots. This saves wastage of water. Israel highly values water and knows how to save each drop. Computer-controlled drip irrigation, computerised early warning system for leaks; thermal imaging for crop water stress detection, biological pest control, new varieties of fruit and vegetables are the main achievements of Israel in the field agriculture. Dairy and desert farming are impressive in Israel. All this is despite the fact that Israel’s natural water supplies are below the United Nations definition of water poverty. Around 86 per cent of water is reused and stored after desalination through plants. Israel exports agricultural technology all over the world. Equipment is the backbone of agriculture in Israel.

Israel manufactures its equipment locally. Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest livelihood provider in India, more so in vast rural areas. It also contributes a significant figure to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Sustainable agriculture, in terms of food security, rural employment, and environmentally sustainable technologies such as soil conservation, sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity protection, is essential for holistic rural development. Indian agriculture and allied activities have witnessed a green revolution, a white revolution, a yellow revolution and a blue revolution.

Punjab: The bread basket of India: Punjab State has 5.03 M hectare geographical area out of which 4.23 M hectare is under cultivation. About 75% of its population depends directly on agriculture. From 1965-66 to 2004-05, the cropping intensity increased from 126% to 186%. The area under wheat has increased by 216% and the production by 756%. The area under rice cultivation has increased by 895% and the production by 3307%. Punjab state has played a prominent role I agriculture. It has achieved self-sufficiency in food grains. It contributes 60% wheat and 40% rice to the central pool. The productivity of wheat has increased from 1236 kg/hectare to 4209 kg/hectare. Since the advent of Green Revolution, the state has made rapid strides in agricultural production. New innovative techniques were adopted to reduce the cost of cultivation. Zero-till age technology was promoted for wheat sowing amongst the farmers. An area of 3.14 lakh hectare was sown during 2004-05 which saved Rs. 42crore on the use of inputs. For increasing the efficiency and performance in the agricultural sector, the Government of India has taken several significant steps like collaborating with other nations for the latest techniques and technology.

In one of such deals, India is collaborating with Israel on improvements in various sectors in agriculture. The current challenge is to look for external markets for the surplus food grains from Punjab. Therefore, negotiations in the international trade markets have become most important. There has been a growing occurrence of multinational corporations in developing countries, particularly in trading agricultural commodities. Punjab’s policymakers must bring the brains together, both domestic and international, to stand for the development strategies of Punjab. Getting the bankers, entrepreneurs, and farmer leaders on the same table and meeting their needs to make progress is essential. The latest slogan is “Innovate or Perish”. It’s time for Indians to develop their dry lands to accommodate and feed the growing population, by learning lessons from Israel. For a country like Israel where 60% of the area is desert, exporting high-value farm produce like mangoes and avocados is a matter of pride, whereas for India, among the largest food producers globally, the challenge is to counter the effects of erratic rainfall, raise productivity and use water efficiently.