by Justine Hemmestad
4-4-24
Israel is designated to be a safe haven for Jews in a troubled world. In fact, Israel has been a beacon of light for 75 years. However, in these times, Major Itamar Ben David says that Israel is, “a place of a lot of uncertainty,” in regard to military operations in Gaza, as well as on its northern border. At the same time as national defense uncertainty, there is also domestic uncertainty. The economic uncertainty left after the Hamas onslaught that took the lives of 1,200 Israelis is felt not in the least by Israel’s agricultural sector. The Western Negev is the heartland of Israel’s agriculture, and though it has a semi-arid climate with limited water resources, it has fostered new practices in irrigation, greenhouse cultivation, and in the development of drought-resistant crops. Yet, the Hamas attack forced the abandonment of many Negev farms, includ- ing dairy farms. Some Negev community members do not intend to ever return. Those who do come back out of a sense of responsibility, but some fields are off limits due to the danger posed by their closeness to Gaza. There are 750 dairy farms in Israel, and the average milk yield per cow is more than 12,000 kg, according to the Israeli Dairy Board. There are an almost equal number of dairy farms in Iowa, 850 to be exact. Both Iowa and Israel know well the economic sustainability of the dairy industry. In Nir Oz (Hebrew for “courageous meadow”), the dairy farm is very near the Gaza border, and until the morning of the attack it was home to about 400 people. 38 members of the community were murdered by Hamas and 75 more members were taken hostage. Nir Oz is just one of at least 20 towns and villages in southern Israel that were attacked and left devastated by Hamas. One of the intentions of Hamas was to harm Israel’s food supply, in addition to inflicting pain on its people, as their goal was to “break the community.” Danielle Abraham, a leader of ReGrow Israel, said, “The untold story is that the attack was also a methodical and strategic attack against the agriculture of the western Negev region.” After the Hamas onslaught, the IDF fought for control of the area for five days. Dairy cows were unattended in the turmoil, and 100 animals had to later be slaughtered. Though Israeli airstrikes continue, hundreds of cows are still herded into milking stations, not spooked by the sound of bombs. Without the help of volunteers, milk production amidst war could not be possible and more cows would suffer. About a dozen volunteers from Israel and around the world have been helping at the Nir Oz dairy farm, trying to help fill the gap left by those who are no longer there. Liad Vaknin, spokesperson for Israel’s Dairy Council, said, “The volunteers are temporarily saving these farms, but at the end of the day, they are volunteers. They don’t have the same capabilities as the workers. We need to find a more permanent solution.” In addition to the obvious damage inflicted upon the land by Hamas’ attack, the soil has also been damaged by the IDF tanks and vehicles that have had to pass over the area. “The soil must be rehabilitated,” says Danielle Abraham, one of the leaders of the ReGrow Israel philanthropic project. “Israel has been making significant contributions to the world’s agricultural system for 70 years, and the ReGrow Israel fund will invest in building this region back even better for the future. “These pioneering, passionate farmers are already getting creative in finding solutions to use what’s left of their land and resources to feed the Israeli population.” ReGrow Israel is weighing the introduction of projects like providing farmers with high-level actionable data, possibly including drone monitoring of pests. In addition, ReGrow Israel is also considering the creation of “greenhouses of the future.” Within these, farmers will have the ability to test proven technologies as well as new technologies that are under development by startups. More can be learned about ReGrow Israel at https:// www.regrowisrael.org/
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