Agriculture in Israel
[6] The development of modern agriculture was closely tied to the Zionist movement and Jewish immigration to Ottoman Syria beginning in the late nineteenth century.
Most Palestinian Arabs lived in the highlands and were subsistence farmers growing wheat and barley on rainfed land.
Both Jewish and Arab farmers initiated growing commercial and exportable crops such as citrus and vegetables in the late 19th century.
The development of agriculture near the coast required drainage of swamps and eradication of malaria, but the land was "wonderfully rich and fertile.
Since independence the production of export and commercial crops expanded while the acreage devoted to cultivation of wheat and barley declined.
[2] The importance of agriculture in Israel's economy has fallen over time, accounting for decreasing values of GDP.
[15] In 2022, Israel's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced a plan to increase the total number of agricultural lands cultivated, and to improve the labor force by supporting new farmers and farmers who have not worked in the field for at least seven years with a total of 10 million shekels.
While numerous volunteers initiatives were assembled by organizations such as Taglit-Birthright and HaShomer HaHadash many farmers were unsure of the long term implications for their farms.
[18][19] A 2021 Knesset study relying on data compiled in 2020 found that about 75,200 people were employed in the agriculture sector with about 49% of them Israeli , 32% international and 19% Palestinians.
[17] By 2023 there were between 30,000 to 40,000 Thai workers working in the Israeli agriculture sector, and were governed by strict rules, such as being unable to raise families in the country and short contracts.
[22] Israel's agricultural sector's heavy reliance on cheap foreign and migrant laborers has led to abuses and exploitations.
[23][24] Problematic phenomena remain rampant and foreign worker continuously suffer from those such as black market laboring, sub-minimum wage, debt bondage, harsh, unsafe and inhumane work environment, human trafficking, false imprisonment, beatings, suicides and uninvestigated deaths.
[32] Fruit and vegetables grown include citrus, avocados, kiwifruit, guavas and mangos, grapes from orchards located on the Mediterranean coastal plain.
[2] Subtropical humid valleys in the country produce bananas and southern deserts grows dates, while in the northern hills apples, pears and cherries are grown.
[34] All of Israel's milk consumption originates from dairy farms within the country with most herds consisting largely of Israel-Holsteins, a high-yielding, disease-resistant breed.
In addition to citrus, these include avocados, bananas, apples, olives, cherries, figs, plums, nectarines, grapes, dates, strawberries, prickly pear (tzabbar), persimmon, loquat and pomegranates.
[44] This discovery transformed agricultural economics in Israel, promoting the export of the vegetables seeds and the move to high-tech farming.
[46] Avocados are a major "money spinner" for Israeli agriculture, with almost half (45 per cent) being sold abroad.
[49] In addition to flowers favored in the West such as lilies, roses, and tulips, Israel exports desert varieties.
It has become a major player in the global floral industry, especially as a supplier of traditional European flowers during the winter months.
Similar to floriculture around the world, Israel's flower cultivation relies heavily on introduced species.
Israel is a world leader in agricultural research and development, which has led to dramatic increases in the quantity and quality of the country's crops.
[42] Agrotourism in Israel began gaining momentum towards the end of the 1980s as a response to declining agricultural incomes.
Many farmers sought alternative sources of income, leading to the development of rural and agricultural tourism.
[54] Historical agricultural practices attract visitors to agritourism sites in Israel such as Ein Yael, Neot Kedumim, and Kfar Kedem.
[55] Binyamina, known for its citrus groves, and Kibbutz Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea, which demonstrates desert farming techniques, are also key agritourism sites.
