Yuval Eshdat

Chief Scientist Office

Ministry of Agriculture& Rural Development

The State of Israel

Oct 30th,2014, ISERD, Tel Aviv

Israel Agricultural Research and Development:

Challenges and OpportunitiesOverview of Israel

Agriculture Technology Applied Research Landscape

Shortage of water resources

Scarcity of precipitation

Two thirds of the land area defined

as semi-arid or arid regions

Shortage in “On farm labor”

Complex geopolitical environment

Distance from the export markets

Constraints of Israeli AgricultureConstraints of Israeli Agriculture

All are very “good reasons” not to have agriculture…

Ensure a high degree of self supply, we faced

“Food Security” already 65 years ago – not only

now!

Guarantee advantage with constant novelty

Advance KBBE to develop and improve

intensive production technology which meets

economic profitability criteria

All are very “good reasons” not to have agriculture… but:Israel had to be an independent producer of its food since

its creation, thus such necessity became the mother of innovation

These constraints compel These constraints compel Israeli agriculture to:Israeli agriculture to:

Ein Yahav: past and presentEin Yahav: past and present

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development[MOARD]

To ensure continuous supply of fresh & healthy agricultural products for the local market, at cost-effective prices for both consumers & farmers

To develop novel production technologies, minimize inputs and maintain a sustainable green ecological agriculture

To promote inhabitation of rural areas by providing means for adequate income

MOARD Main Objectives 2014

MOARD Chief Scientist's major goals are:

to identify obstacles that prevent reaching the Ministry goals due to knowledge gaps

to determine research objectives aimed to bridge such gaps

to fund such target-oriented research activity and to monitor research performance

to bridge between the obtained scientific data and its implementation

to plan the agricultural R&D strategy

MOARD agricultural R&D is aimed to help in achieving the Ministry objectives

• Improved animal production and aquaculture

• Food safety & quality; organic farming

• Animal & plant protection

• Horticulture & ornamental plants: quality improvement & new varieties

• Efficient & safe water management (potable; brackish; recycled; desalinated)

• Sustainable and ecological agriculture; Alternative pest management

• Shelf-life improvement of fresh agricultural products

• Reducing man-power needs by novel technologies (engineering and biological)

Current Research Priorities & Areas Supported & Controlled by MOARD Chief Scientist Office

The Chief Scientist OfficeMinistry of Agriculture& Rural Development

Designated Thematic Goals

• Facing agricultural threats associated with global & local: - Climate change - Food security crisis - Alternative energy

• Precision agriculture (ICT = Information & Communication Technologies)

• Agricultural biotechnology and its legal and societal regulation

• Market-oriented novel agricultural products

• Economic, marketing and rural development policy

The Chief Scientist OfficeMinistry of Agriculture& Rural Development

Cross-border Thematic Goals

Current Research Priorities & Areas Supported & Controlled by MOARD Chief Scientist Office

• Agricultural ecology and forestry (KKL-JNF, Water Authority)

• Biodiversity and Gene Banks (Plants & Zoological)

• Improving agricultural-related energy use and production (Min Energy & Water)

• Production of innovated agricultural products by the private sector (Min Economics)

• Plant genomics assisting future agriculture; ICT; Veterinary; Mediterranean Agriculture; Industrial Biotechnology;Joint Program Initiative on Food & energy Crisis & Climate change (ERA-Nets of the EU Commission)

• Mission oriented fundamental research – BARD (US-IL Agricultural Bi-National fund)

Current Research Priorities & AreasCollaborative Funding

The Chief Scientist OfficeMinistry of Agriculture& Rural Development

Major joint venture R&D of MOARD with other funding bodies

• BSF – US-IL Bi-national Science Fund

• ISF – Israel Science Foundation

• GIF – German-Israel Fund

• BIRD – US-IL Bi-national Industrial Fund

• MOST – Ministry of Science & Technology

• Bi- and multi- lateral funds such as Horizon 2020

Other major funding bodies involved in agricultural research

The Chief Scientist OfficeMinistry of Agriculture& Rural Development

The supported projects by these funds include fundamental & industrial research

not necessarily related to MOARD objectives

לשכת המדען הראשי

High Education Institutes

Agricultural R&D Sites & Players

Basic ScienceApplied Research

Other Research Centers

Extension Services Governmental Research Inst.

Agri. Res. Org. (ARO)

Volcani Ctr.Gilat Ctr.Neve Yaar Ctr.

Veterinary Res. Inst.

Land & Ocean Sci. Org.

Regional Experimental Stations

Regional R&D Centers

Chief Scientist International R&D Policy:

Positioning Israel as a worldwide leading center for agricultural R&D and resulting know-how

Strengthen the international position of Israel while using it’s reputation and cutting edge technologies

Promoting advanced, novel and efficient agricultural R&D in Israel Promoting the involvement of the agricultural industry in international projects

Relative advantages of the Israeli Agricultural R&D

Experience in multidisciplinary R&D activities with proven abilities to develop agricultural know-how

Ability to solve up-to-date agricultural problems

Knowledge and experience in intruding new products and technologies into agricultural practice

Ability to perform high-tech R&D projects for Tomorrow‘s Agriculture

Israel agriculture as a worldwide “beta site”

Israel as a worldwideIsrael as a worldwide R&D Beta Site forR&D Beta Site for

Multidiciplinary ProjectsMultidiciplinary Projects

Fo

od

sec

uri

ty

Fo

od

sec

uri

ty

Breeding forBreeding forhigh yielding & diseasehigh yielding & disease

& stress tolerant& stress tolerantcultivarscultivars

Plant protection:

Plant protection:

IPM, green, friendly and

IPM

, green, friendly and

sustainable

sustainable

Agr

icul

tura

l eng

inee

ring

Agr

icul

tura

l eng

inee

ring

nove

l im

prov

ed

nove

l im

prov

ed

harv

estin

g te

chno

logi

es

harv

estin

g te

chno

logi

es

Animal feed:

Animal feed:

Improved novel

Improved novel

food sources

food sources

Prec

isio

n ag

ricul

ture

:

Prec

isio

n ag

ricul

ture

:

Bet

ter y

ield

s w

ith

Bet

ter y

ield

s w

ith

less

inpu

ts

less

inpu

ts

Postharvest: FoodPostharvest: Foodlosses and packaginglosses and packaging

Food SecurityFood Security

Multidisciplinary R&D activities in the Food Crisis Multidisciplinary R&D activities in the Food Crisis ProjectProject

Drought tolerantDrought tolerantnew cultivarsnew cultivars

Plant protection:

Plant protection:

New

evolving pests

New

evolving pests

and disease

and disease

Nov

el im

prov

ed

Nov

el im

prov

ed

gree

nhou

se c

oolin

g

gree

nhou

se c

oolin

g

tech

nolo

gies

tech

nolo

gies

Improved flow

ering

Improved flow

ering

and fruit set

and fruit set

under heat

under heat

Prec

isio

n

Prec

isio

nA

gric

ultu

re

Agr

icul

ture

Multidisciplinary R&D activities in the Global Multidisciplinary R&D activities in the Global Worming ProjectWorming Project

FertigationFertigation

Climate Climate Change Change

&&Global Global

wormingworming

Thank you for Thank you for your attentionyour attention

Dear guests and collaborators, good Afternoon

As a representative of the current chief scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, who apologizes for not being able to be here today, I welcome you to this meeting and wish you a fruitful day.

I will concentrate in my talk on the Agricultural and its derived R&D activity of this ministry, which is the major public funder of Israel agricultural research.