Addressing issues of desertification and draught, land use, and development across Africa, the delegation offered Israel’s expertise and insight on the complex issues facing global sustainable development.

Excerpts from statements by Israeli delegation:

Drought and Desertification

Regarding the critical, interrelated, and thematic issues of drought and desertification, Israel’s approach is a practical one based on the country’s own accumulated experience managing limited natural resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid conditions.

The State of Israel has worked on the issues of sustainable land management, as well as initiated public policies designed to restore, develop, and manage its dry lands. Some 240 million trees have been planted, almost all in semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions. Agriculture has been successfully introduced into arid areas that had previously been deemed unfit for cultivation.   Regulations were introduced to control grazing and ensure effective water management. Agricultural development has been based upon innovative and creative ways of "living with the desert." In essence, Israel has turned the natural disadvantages associated with heat and water scarcity into an advantage.

With the vast majority of the country defined as dry lands, it was essential that new approaches be explored for utilizing the soil in order to support a robust economy and a growing population. An ambitious research and development program combined with an effective extension network have produced many breakthroughs.

Technology has played a key role in expanding the economy in the dry land regions, such as the invention of drip irrigation systems, the recycling and treatment of waste and marginal water for production, and open space land development.

Other initiatives have included the development of salt and drought resistant plants and the establishment of alternative livelihoods ranging from fish and algae farming to desert ecotourism. 

Economic development is balanced against conservation of the unique and fragile desert ecosystems. These innovations will increasingly be called upon to address the growing challenges associated with adapting to the threat of global warming and the anticipated impacts of climate change.

In this context, Israel wishes to propose that SCD-17 will address policy and adopt practical action-oriented measures, including:

• To encourage and support networking and sharing of best practices research and technologies among countries, regional institutions and relevant stakeholders involved in desertification and drought related issues.
• To design new initiatives to support national strategies and cross-cutting issues on combating desertification and dry land development.
• Field demonstration and project development activities on the country and regional levels to introduce efficient irrigation, crop diversification, improved production practices, and market-driven production designed for semi-arid and drought conditions, including projects conducted in partnership with international development agencies focused on the Middle East and Africa.
• Improving rain-fed agricultural practices aimed at increasing agricultural production in semi-arid regions by introducing water harvesting, small micro-irrigation technologies combined with crop diversification, improved production practices, and human capacity building.
• Activities to combat climate change that combine methodological assessments with applied irrigation and production practices, including programs aimed at field-level application for improved water utilization and production practices.

In this context, Israel is committed to sharing its scientific know-how, technology, and technical capacity-building programs with partner governments, international development agencies, research institutions, civil society, and the private sector. In particular, Israel wishes to share this wealth of knowledge with countries facing similar arid and semi-arid climates and environmental conditions.

Land

We fully recognize the key and crucial role of land in the overall process of development with particular reference to rural development and other related issues.

Efficient and management of land is critical to the overall process of agricultural production and to the overall sustainable utilization of natural resources...

In this broad context, we propose that CSD-17 IPM address policies and practical implementation measures, such as:

• Adopting policies that will enhance the formulation of legal long term national land development and land use frameworks and programs;
• Recognizing and enabling the development of agricultural and non- agricultural alternative income generating programs and projects in rural areas.
• Supporting and promoting research and development in broad base land related topics.
• Enhancing sustainable management practices of lands and related natural resources regarding agricultural and other non-agricultural activities that enhance and lead towards employment diversification and economic growth.
• Adopting land management best practices with the aim of maintaining and improving agricultural production, soil productivity, the replenishment of underground aquifers, and effective water retaining techniques.
• Introducing innovative soil management and irrigation practices to reduce and prevent soil salinization and land degradation.

In this context, Israel is committed to sharing its scientific know-how, appropriate technologies, and technical capacity building programs with partner governments, civil society, and the private sector with an emphasis on countries facing similar arid and semi-arid climates and environmental conditions.

Africa

At the outset, we wish to note the long-standing historical and fruitful ties between Israel and African countries.

For the past 50 years, Israel has been steadfast in its commitment to agricultural development cooperation. Its agricultural programming in Africa deals with the introduction of modern agricultural and agro-technical methods designed to increase the levels, sustainability, and quality of agricultural production.

Israel’s own development experience - moving from a developing country to a developed one in less than six decades, despite the constant threat of war and scarcity of resources - has enabled us to design comprehensive and holistic programs for urban and rural settings, both of which are of critical importance to Africa.
 
These initiatives are in alignment with NEPAD principles and strategies which we fully support.

These challenges and development initiatives have been carried out in partnership with donor countries, UN organizations, and international aid agencies. In the spirit of the Millennium Declaration and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, Israel and African partner countries have collaborated on projects with USAID, GTZ and CIDA (Canada). In pursuit of donor harmonization, Israel has signed numerous memoranda of understanding with UNDP, FAO and UNEP for development cooperation in Africa.

Rural development also requires the introduction of nonagricultural initiatives, particularly because modern agriculture is less labor intensive. Therefore, it is important to encourage micro, small, and medium-size enterprises involved in the first-level processing of agricultural products for added value.

Israel’s approach to agricultural development in Africa is based on harnessing science, technology, and human capacity development.

The challenge is to adapt traditional practices to contemporary technologies and standards relating to such critical issues, such as water management and irrigation, appropriate production practices and inputs, crop protection, post-harvest techniques, marketing and value addition.

Over the last two decades, Israel and its counterparts established a number of demonstration projects in selected semi-arid regions in Africa. These projects were designed to showcase new technologies for intensifying and diversifying crop production, with the goal of promoting a more efficient use of water through rationing of limited water resources and installation of pressure irrigation systems. These methods have proven to be effective, despite their higher initial cost.

At present, Israel is developing an innovative mini-sprinkler and drip irrigation system that requires a much lower level of atmospheric pressure than the systems used today. The system, called Africa Market Garden (AMG) or Techno-agricultural Innovation for Poverty Alleviation (TIPA), lends itself to establishing individual market gardens in limited areas to contribute substantially to sustainable food production. By utilizing this system, the smallholder African farmer can construct his/her own small water rationing facility.

By disseminating technologies such as these, African community gardens and individual market gardens are encouraged to develop on a large scale throughout the continent, thereby revolutionizing traditional African agriculture, which emphasizes the role of women in obtaining food security for their families.

Another program currently being developed is entitled the "Farmers of the Future," designed to acquaint school children with modern agricultural technologies.

In conclusion, Israel proposes that these models be recommended by the CSD-17 as possible programs that could contribute to food security and development in Africa.