It is called "de-desert-ification" by environmentalists, and Israel leads the world in countering the creeping desert-ification that has made large swaths of Africa and Asia uninhabitable. Satellite photographs show that only two countries in the world have increased the area of land covered by forest and agriculture - the United States and Israel. It was Israeli farmers who revolutionized the watering of agricultural crops through the drip-irrigation system that they invented more than 40 years ago, since adopted worldwide.
Water is carried directly to the roots of the plant through tiny holes in small tubes that can be easily redeployed when needed elsewhere. The system is set on a timer, which reduces evaporation and eliminates wasteful run-off. Because the water is delivered directly to the roots of the crop, there are added benefits: there is less moisture on the leaves and surrounding soil which suppresses mold and weeds; there is also a reduced need for chemicals and pesticides.
Israeli company Netafim, which markets the technology, says it is now used in more than 110 countries around the world, and has helped create self-sustaining agricultural communities in drought-stricken areas, particularly in Africa. Israel also leads in waste-water recovery, recycling 70 per cent of its waste water - a huge amount, far and away greater than any other country. The water is used for agriculture, waste management and for fish farms in the desert.
Israel also leads the world in developing and exporting green technologies that are beneficial to the planet. With its main water sources controlled by avowed enemies (Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon), and with its tiny country generally sandy and infertile, Israel has become a world leader in terms of green technology because of its long experience with water scarcity.
Jon Medved, head of the pioneering video ring-tone company Vringo and an investor in Israeli clean technology companies, explains, " We've created these technologies to solve problems that are acute here." Israel is also a pioneer in geo-thermal and solar energy, the world's leading company in geo-thermal power being Ormat, an Israeli company - developing the harnessing of Earth's heat to generate electricity.
No comments:
Post a Comment