The Negev desert has had a pride of place in Israel ever since David Ben-Gurion, Israel?s first prime minister who moulded the thinking of generations of Israelis, set an example by settling down in Sde Boker after retirement. ?It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigour of Israel shall be tested,? he had said. Today, the desert which Mark Twain described as ?a desolation that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action? produces some of the best olives and tomatoes in the country and leads research in brackish water irrigation.
Says Zion Shemer, Director, Ramat Negev Agroresearch Centre, a regional government facility, ?The Ramat Negev region receives an average annual rainfall of 60-80 mm. Since freshwater is limited and expensive, we have learned to use brackish water from underground for irrigation without damage to the crop or to the environment. We grow fruits, ornamental flowers, vegetables, herbs, olives, tomatoes, you name it. In the last 15 years, agriculture here has grown 10 times.?
An optimum, crop-specific mix of fresh and salt water is used along with drip irrigation techniques and a mulch prevents the water in the soil from evaporating and prevents weeds from proliferating. The result is often high-quality yield fit for export. The Ramat Negev region is today the largest exporter of cherry tomatoes in Israel. Showing us into a tent where rows of plants droop with ripe red tomatoes, a staple in any classic Israeli salad, Shemer says specialty crops grown here with brackish water irrigation, such as cherry tomatoes, wine grapes, olives, pomegranates, jojoba and strawberries, marketed under the brand name Desert Sweet, enjoy a niche in exports to Europe.
Olive cultivation here has spawned similar projects in other countries, including India. ?We have 60 varieties of olive trees over 600 hectares. The yield in fresh water of olives is higher, but for purposes of oil extraction, the yield in salty water is not only higher but the food value is higher too, with a high level of antioxidants. For extra virgin olive oil, the acidity has to be low and the quality high, which is what we produce here,? Shemer says, adding that Israel imparted the technology to grow olives in the Rajasthan desert eight years ago. ?We recently had 150 trainees from Asia for 10 months. Our training programme involves one day of theory a week and field work the rest of the time, and it is directed towards countries which can afford to buy technology for desert agriculture but don?t have the required skills,? he says.
In the shade of another tent grow beds of a succulent weed, salicornia. A salt-tolerant crop that has been domesticated, it can be used as a herb, says Shemer, plucking a scale-like leaf for tasting. It?s among the many weeds with nutritional value that are being domesticated here. ?Portulaca, a weed rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, has been successfully domesticated in Israel and exported to the Euro market where it is marketed as a leaf vegetable,? Shemer says, adding that the centre is now developing technology to extend the shelf life of herbs.