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Agriculture >
Cooperation makes it better
Israel-India
> Business Guide >
2017
I
ndia is presently in the midst of its second
‘Green Revolution’.During the first green
revolution, the country achieved self-
sufficiency in the supply of food grains, an
extraordinary achievement in its agricultural
sector. While dealing with a high rate of
population increase,the issue of food security
became crucial,leading India to a compelling
need to find alternative ways to feed its 1.2
billion people.
The first goal of the present‘Green Revolution’is
the transition towards sustainable agriculture,
including implementing agricultural production
practices that take into consideration the
protection of natural resources and the
environment; effective utilization of water
resources and the reduction of harmful
pesticides.The second goal is diversification –
by diversifying the food basket,the population
will benefit from a larger supply of fruits and
vegetables, a primary source of essential
minerals and vitamins. The important task
of achieving this challenge was entrusted to
India’s National Horticulture Mission (NHM).
Bilateral relations between Israel and India have
deepened and widened since full diplomatic
relations were established in 1992.The two
countries share values, interests and similar
challenges and successfully cooperate in
wide variety of subjects.
Throughout the years the State of Israel
developed unique expertise and approaches to
sustainable agricultural and rural development
under semi-arid and arid climatic conditions.
As one of the oldest international development
agencies in the world,MASHAV – Israel’s Agency
for International Development Cooperation,
is committed to sharing with the developing
world Israel’s own creative solutions and first
and experience.This includes,among others,
management of limited natural production
resources and the integration of modern
agro-technologies, water and irrigation,
research and development, agricultural
extension and delivering of know-how to
farmers and to the rural areas at large,in order
to enhance overall national employment
and economic growth.
Training the Trainers
The Indo-Israeli Agriculture Cooperation Project helps to receive bigger return on
investments, increase yield and the efficiency of natural resources
Sharon Kabalo > Photos: Courtesy of MASHAV
Field workers explaining growing methods to visiting groups
It is within this framework of cooperation,
and based on these achievements,that India’s
National Horticulture Mission chose Israel as
a partner to promote the goals of the second
‘Green Revolution’.
The Indo-Israeli Action Plan
The first stage of the Indo-Israeli Agricultural
Cooperation Project started in 2008 following
the signing of an Action Plan based on a
Government to Government Agreement.
The implementing partners are the National
Horticulture Mission under the Ministry of
Agriculture of India andMASHAV under Israel’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It was decided that the most effective way
of transferring professional knowhow and
achieving the stated goals will be through
the establishment of“Agricultural Centers of
Excellence,”in different Indian States.Within
this framework,MASHAV was asked to share
best-practices and provide capacity building
through professional training programs to
be conducted both in Israel and in India.
The project stated three main objectives:
•
To increase the diversity of farmers so they
can achieve a bigger return on investments
from their land.
•
To increase the yield of produce along the
value chain both in quality and quantity,
through,among others,excellent seedlings,
cultivationmethods,irrigation,and fertigation.
•
To increase the efficiency of natural resources:
water-use management, better yields with
less irrigation, and improving energy and
soil efficiency.
Agricultural Centers of Excellence
The Centers of Excellence provide a suitable
platform for rapid transfer of technology to
the farmers.Knowhow and new agricultural
technologies such as protected cultivation,drip
irrigation and fertigation are demonstrated at
the centers with the aimof being adopted by
the farmers,to achieve the goal of increasing
their yields and productivity and also to improve
quality of produce.This can positively impact
the income of the farmers andmarket prices,
as well as assist in introducing new varieties.