10 years after the establishment of the state of Israel, MASHAV is celebrating 60 years of development cooperation this year. As the previous head of MASHAV, Israel ambassador to India,Daniel Carmon is extremely proud to witness the nation’s recognition of development diplomacy and MASHAV’s role in defining Israel as a nation of innovation.In 1948, after struggling for its independence, the modern state of Israel was reestablished in a land with abundant historical significance yet extremely limited natural resources. Astonishingly, despite its hostile neighbourhood, within decades Israel was able to develop within its borders a thriving state. This included a bustling economy, a self-reliant agricultural sector, education and health systems, academia and industry with R&D as the link between them — all of which rest upon the interweaving power of innovation and technology.
Israel is the example for the world in optimising the use of water in general and agriculture in particular. India has openly embraced Israel for this. Micro Irrigation Incubated in Israel and gradually spread worldwide, micro irrigation has proven to be a technology which has the potentialto change the face of Indian agriculture.
The Central & state government recognised the importance of drip technology way back in 2003, with the formation of 'Task Force on Micro Irrigation'. Government has been extending subsidy through bodies like National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI) to encourage farmers to take up drip irrigation in a big way. Now, under the central government's new initiative to increase to increase farm productivity, the micro irrigation sector has got the most needed fillip.
Israel is the example for the world in optimising the use of water in general and agriculture in particular. India has openly embraced Israel for this. Micro Irrigation Incubated in Israel and gradually spread worldwide, micro irrigation has proven to be a technology which has the potential to change the face of Indian agriculture.
To achieve mass adoption of smart irrigation solutions and make micro irrigation available to all, the actions by the government should be accompanied by more aggressive promotions and simplifying the subsidy process for farmers.
A well established leader in water management, desalination and recycling techniques, Israel has set a template for reusing wastewater for irrigation. It treats 80 per cent of its domestic wastewater, which is recycled for agricultural use and constitutes nearly 50 per cent of the total water used for agriculture. Drip irrigation is one of the most effective forms used by farmers in many developed nations to reduce water wastage. Here water is allowed to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants either onto the soil surface or directly on to the roots through a network of pipes and emitters.
