Page 29 - Social Science.docx

irrigation in israel
concrete reminder and representation of what can be done by tapping into the human resources of a nation to solve its problems. Having been able to do that in a land with so many water and agricultural challenges, really proves to be a great accomplishment. Even if the cherry tomato in itself was not an Israeli invention, it is Israeli science that is responsible for bringing it as a possibility to the general consumer.
As can be seen, that cherry tomato eaten represents a condensation of the history, values, achievements and identity of the Israeli nation. To get that cherry tomato on the table, the arid lands of Israel had first to be transformed into cultivable ones. So when Israelis sit at a breakfast table or share their hospitality with visitors, they cannot help but feel proud and amazed about the abundance of tastes and colors present on their dishes, and achieved by the hard work of an entire people, from the government, to teachers, to scientists to farmers, who have made this reality possible. In fact, Tal explains that more than any other nation, Israel decided to carry out a “romantic, ideological agrarian vision.”6 He asserts that this aspiration of achieving a fertile land propelled the country to implement economic plans, to witness sociological transformations, and to generate astounding modifications in Israel’s old landscape and its population’s self-image. He later acknowledges that the agricultural transformations have implied awe-inspiring technological innovations and unforeseen victories in reducing desertification. Israel is indeed the country that has had more breakthroughs, and which has contributed the most in the world of efficient farming, hardier crops, alternative sources of nutrition, and safer food packaging and storage. Israel is helping to feed the world in major ways, by implementing technologies such as drip irrigation,
6 Alon Tal, "Rethinking the sustainability of Israel's Irrigation Practices in the Drylands,” pp. 228-229. 25