To Make a Desert Bloom: The Israeli Agricultural Adventure and the Quest for Sustainability

Abstract

This article offers an overview of the vicissitudes faced by Israeli agriculture during the past century. The Zionist pioneers who came from Europe to Palestine sought to reclaim the status of Jewish farmers in their homeland. This ethic translated into an extraordinary societal support for Israel's agrarian economy and steady growth in agricultural production. Seven key factors are identified as being critical to this record of success, including a commitment to food security, water development, and technological innovation. Yet, during the past twenty years numerous changes in local and international dynamics have posed substantial challenges to Israel's agricultural sector. In addition, while Israeli agriculture has largely halted erosion and restored desertified lands of the Negev Desert, it also produced myriad environmental side effects including water contamination and excessive pesticide usage. The article considers responses to these challenges that offer promising prospects for a sustainable agricultural future in Israel. ISRAEL'S EMERGENCE AS AN AGRICULTURAL country was a matter of choice. Perhaps more than any other nation, it chose to pursue a romantic, ideological agrarian vision. This dream of a rural, fertile homeland drove economic policies, launched a sociological makeover, and produced astonishing changes in an ancient landscape and a people's