Page 31 - Social Science.docx

Irrigation in israel
plants. Since its introduction in the 1960’s, and with great efforts from Israel's scientific community, drip irrigation technology has rapidly progressed and has become strong and durable. They have developed emitters that are able to process lower quality waters without clogging while including fertilizers in the irrigation waters, more sophisticated computer controls, and greater precision in the applications. Scientists have arrived to the conclusion that it is better to use several, short, daily irrigation occasions or very low flow rate applications throughout the day, than single intensive pulses. As this technology’s sophistication has increased, its prices have dropped and low volume “Family Drip Systems,” for rural regions in developing countries have been designed for as little as 500 dollars per unit. These economic systems also have the advantage that they can be administered only with gravity, without the use of pumps or electricity. According to Tal, since introducing drip irrigation, Israeli agriculture has lowered the amount of freshwater that it uses by 60%, and while drip irrigation systems' efficacy can still be enhanced, they represent a significant solution strategy in the world’s attempt for global food security. This is especially important in a world greatly characterized by water scarcity. Today, 75 percent of Israeli irrigation involves drip systems which with high probability will play an even bigger role considering the expected growth in global population, and the consequent foreseen need to make available enough food worldwide for anticipated demand.9
Other great technological achievements worth mentioning were born at the Zuckerberg Institute, where researchers have developed new techniques for desalination and water treatment, making Israel the most efficient country in water conservation and usage in the world. In fact, the
9 Ibid., p. 339.
27