by Dr Upatissa Pethiyagoda

Towards the end of 1986, I was privileged to participate in a training programme conducted by The International Agency for Agricultural Development Co-operation (CINADCO) in Israel. It was a five to six week course conducted and financed by the Israeli Government, and intended to help developing countries of Asia and Africa.

We Sri Lankans were five in number, drawn from the Agriculture, Agrarian Service, ADA and Mahaweli. The course was residential and consisted of lectures, visits to farms, factories, Hebrew University, and places of tourist and religious interest, including Jerusalem, River Jordan, The Negev, Golan Heights, Massada, The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Accommodation was in a Mashav (an Israeli type of Co-operative Settlement), not far from the capital Tel Aviv.

Our ‘journey” began with the surprise that our visa was not stamped on our passports, but came as a loose leaf document!. This was because some Arab countries would not grant visas to any person who had visited Israel. The reverse was not so! Also, our flights were routed via Paris, to minimize flight over Arab territories. It was said that during one of their numerous Wars with Arab neighbours, commercial aircraft manufacturers would not sell combat aircraft to Israel. So, they built their own!

Following the persecution of Jews in Europe during World War Two, and the establishment of the State of Israel, entry was freely available to those Jews who satisfied a few lenient criteria. This led to a great influx of Jews from all over the World, who brought along with them, a wealth of technical experience in many fields. It was said that when the first astronauts, from US and USSR met in space, they spoke to each other in Hebrew (or in some versions, German).

The Hebrew Greeting is “Shalom Aleichem” meaning ‘Peace be upon you’. Readers will note the identical “Salam Aleikum” greeting of the Muslims. What then are they fighting about?It is relevant to mention that the periodical “Shalom” published by CINADCO, regularly came to me until recently.

Emphasizing the central role of Agriculture and of Food Security, all immigrants were required to first farm lands allotted to them for two years before returning to their professions – as doctors, engineers or teachers. There were no exceptions. In fact, the First Prime Minister – Menachem Begin, too farmed for two years on entry.

That more than 30 years after, I can still recount some of my experiences, is evidence of how deeply I was impressed.Israeli Agriculture is heavily automated, with control of most operations such as land preparation, seeding, transplantation, irrigation, fertilization and pest control being computer controlled. We viewed a “driverless tractor” for the first time there.

Virtually, every bit of greenery had drippers or water sprayers to sustain them. Optimizing of water use and conservation, were the foundations on which Israel’s agriculture is based. Often, the same water was used for domestic needs, and farming (multiple use). Synthetic materials for use in protected cultivations had to be long lasting in the hot and dry climate. Thus, the manufacture of Plastic sheeting for the “Plant Houses” was a priority and has by now, advanced greatly.

Most of the fresh water was obtained from the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret in Hebrew) fed by the Jordan River and said to be connected to the Rift Valley starting from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon and running Southwards for 6,000 kilometres. The entrance to the “National Water Main” was by an opening three Metres in diameter. This spot was the lowest point on earth – some 1,300 metres below Sea Level. Just imagine the cost of pumping this into all of Israel. As the road meanders along a hilly section, is the “Tongue in Cheek” road sign which says “You are now at Sea Level.”

The heavy level of automation is beyond the scope of most nations and is possible solely through the munificence of Uncle Sam and his deep pockets. The statement that Israeli Agriculture is operating at a loss is plausible, but is in conflict with the abundance visible to the mesmerized visitor.

It is hardly necessary to say that agricultural research is highly problem oriented. A researcher was required to devote 95% of his time and resources to “Applied Research”. The balance 5% is for him to indulge in whatever caught his fancy. The number of “Nobel Laureates” from Israel is moving testimony that there has been good use of the 5%.

The excellence of the records of performance in the State sector, is well seen in respect of the “Agricultural Extension” Sector. The most crucial indicator is the profitability in the “Range” of each officer. If the figure is upwards, reward follows. If neutral, an effort is made to identify constraints for remedy. If down – trouble.

Minimum restrictions are imposed. No traveling claims, attendance registers, overtime, mileage records, subsistence and ‘batta’. All that really matters is profitability. A single noteworthy rule is that not more than one day per week is for “Office Work”. Five days in the field.

Two experiences remain indelible for me. On a visit to a school, young pupils in a lower class were seen intently bending over a bed in the school garden, with ‘Clip Boards’ recording something. We learnt that the bed had cabbage plants, neatly arranged in numbered rows, as also along the bed, and the students were weekly recording features they saw. The lessons that followed were to explain what they had noted. For example, one may have noted “the plant was stunted and the leaves turned red”, another may have noted “dried lower leaves” another that the plants were “branching”. The teacher would then deal with the Science explaining “Why?” Plant nutrition and Phosphorus deficiency, leaf senescence, hormones and their role. How brilliant and imaginative a way of engaging young minds.

We also learnt that Chemistry began with the composition of “Dead Sea Water”. Logically, what can be done industrially with sodium chloride, Magnesium, phosphorus, minor elements, what value addition was possible? Export demand, security implications etc. How much more exciting than plodding along the Mendeleev’s Periodic Table, element at a time and the set pattern – occurrence, properties and properties of its compounds. Reminds me of the jocular statement that Chinese Zoology first classifies animals as “edible” or “non-edible”, whether they have backbones or not is a matter to be considered sometime later.

The organizational structures for Agriculture in Israel are complex. The design is aimed at improvements in all conceivable areas impinging on agriculture. An attractive feature that we heard about, concerned a central body for deciding on extents of land to be allocated for different crops, for each season. The frequency of meetings and their durations were pre-determined. The sizes were small and the meetings were so planned that all issues had to be studied ahead by all participants so that meaningful, effective, well-informed and timely interventions if needed, could be brought about in a business-like manner.

In contrast, no one could have failed to notice how much rustling of paper occurs as many of our meetings progress – quite obviously some members were perusing their papers for the first time. This is one reason for the duration (and frequency) of these Israeli meetings being limited, to ensure that the members had carefully studied their papers beforehand and decisions were well-informed.

At the time of our visit, in a previous season when water was in short supply, the Co0mmitee decided that cotton and avocado areas had to be reduced, as these two crops made the heaviest demands on irrigation water supplies. This was in spite of Israeli cotton being a prized long staple type ( I still wear a Tee Shirt gifted to us as a memento, and is now 35 years old but still in “mint condition”!) and avocado – a premium product. Growers were apparently paid a compensation for loss of crop, which would in any case, be more bountiful in the seasons ahead.

At the Hebrew University, we were introduced to two novel equipment designs. One was to simplify the process of cleaning soil sticking to harvested potatoes. It made use of the fact that when a soil covered potato was dropped from a height, the degree of “bounce” of the potato was different from that of adhering soil lumps.

The key component of the design was a long roller, rather like what is used in gardening, or on cricket pitches, with the difference that the roller itself was a series of disks of different thickness, rotating on a common axis. The potatoes were dropped by a chute on to the rotating roller. Baskets were so set that they “caught” the bouncing potatoes. The first run cleaned the potatoes of the bulk of soil and a second run, completed the task. Why the “sliced” roller was more effective, is a mystery.

The second example, addressed the problem of a fungus which produced its spores on the under surface of cereal crop leaves. The normal spray fell mainly on the upper sides of leaves – requiring a number of spraying rounds to clear the infestation. The solution was to use ultra-long span booms with spray nozzles directed downwards. Just above the delivery arm was a long canvas “balloon” also with nozzles pointing downwards.

A tractor-mounted compressor blew a strong stream of air past the spray arm. What happened was that the strong blast of air, turned the leaves of the cereal crop underside up and this surface caught the simultaneously- sprayed fungicide. Massive savings made allowed the “patented” devices to be sold abroad at a hefty price. This invention was by a girl undergraduate student, on a vacation assignment. It was mentioned that she drew a handsome lifetime royalty on each unit sold.

At the other of the scale was a small device called “The Mechanical Butterfly”. This was hand-held, and battery operated, not unlike a flashlight, at the end of which was a soft-bristled brush, which rotated at high speed. This was used to pollinate flowers at the receptive stage of the pistil. We saw it in use with cherry tomatoes in a plant house.

At the time of our visit (November/December), citrus plantations were a fantastic sight. Laden with thousands of fruits, like a Fairy Land, alight with orange coloured bulbs. Despite their seemingly ripe fruits, we were told that harvest time was January/February! How many millions of tons of vegetables and fruits do we lose annually, through negligence – of optimal harvest timing, handling and bruising, by bad packing and storage? Our losses are estimated to be about 35-40% between field and table. We have much to learn and to adopt.

Another special experience was a visit to a dairy enterprise. The herd was some 120 or so, run by just the young owner and a single helper. The animals were stall- fed, with a mixture that looked like broken up corn flakes – which we learnt was a mix of citrus peel from a nearby cannery, corn cobs, ground limestone and some chopped up coarse grass like our “bata” used by us as supports for bean creepers.

The farm had a central milking unit. The day began very early with the cows being sprayed with water to keep them cool. Water was too costly for customary baths. The stock was, as I remember a cross between Jersey and Friesian. Yields averaged around 45 liters per day, with yield records being maintained for each cow. The animals looked like ‘all udder,’ fitted with four legs and a tail. If the yield drops to the 30’s consistently, the animals were culled. Answering a question whether he identified the animals by name, the retort was “No! I am running a dairy herd and not a pet shop”.

Just next door, was a cheese factory run by the guy’s father. The logical reaction was, “how convenient”. The answer was “no” that all milk was sold to the co-operative and the father bought his milk from the co-operative. This neatly meant that two subsidies were collected – the one encouraging milk production and the other processing. This is why the Jews are considered a cunning and greedy lot.

Fresh produce – fruits, vegetables and cut flowers – command a huge clientele in Europe. Meticulous handling at farm level is matched by systems at the airport. On receipt (from cold storage in transit), the produce is immediately received into Cold Rooms. About half or one hour before being loaded on to cargo planes (flights times being rigorously observed), the crates are moved on to the tarmac to avoid any “temperature shock” Top quality on shop shelves is assured.

I was unashamedly thrilled with what we saw. Maybe the hospitality was lavished on us, for political advantage. My reaction is why not? – after all, there is no such thing as a free lunch!