AgBlog

On April 22, at the urging of the United Nations, we came together to focus on a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. But for real sustainability, we need to better use our remaining water 365 days a year.

I just returned from Dubai, where I had the honor of speaking at the AgrIsrael conference, at the invitation of Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Like most of us in Netafim, I’m very familiar with deserts. I’ve visited numerous Netafim projects in the deserts of the Middle East, and I’ve been to our projects in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Siwa and elsewhere.

But this time was different. 

When you think about wastewater what comes to mind (and nose)? Likely, a long list of bad-smelling, murky colored substances: human waste, sewage, food scraps, oils, soaps, and chemical pollutants. While no one argues that wastewater is a messy cocktail, a huge environmental hazard, and a painful headache for industry and municipalities, it also has unfulfilled potential as a valuable contributor to sustainable agriculture and a global food secure future. Given that half of the world's population will suffer severe water stress by 2030, the time has come to stop looking at wastewater as a liability and start maximizing its potential as a resource.

Turkey has 28 million hectares of arable land, of which only 33% has access to water for irrigation. Agriculture is heavily dependent on irrigation and consumes about two thirds of available water resources. Uneven distribution of water resources, fragmented land, adverse climate conditions, sub-optimal irrigation and agricultural practices further add to the challenge. The introduction of efficient irrigation technologies for increasing agricultural productivity remains a priority for Turkey.

Agriculture, a major contributor in today’s global economy, is responsible for approximately 998 million tonnes of agricultural waste produced in a year worldwide. This number, largely disregarded and ignored, has seen a recent shift towards sustainable development and efficient waste management as it has become a major concern for all stakeholders.

Somewhere in the food bowl of India, a middle-aged farmer is kick-starting his day by tilling his land. In Indonesia, a farmer and his wife are watering their rice-fields in the distant farmlands. All over the world, the farming scenes are portrayed by that common picture – small-scale farmers are the agricultural backbone of the teeming population.

It’s just over a year now since we as individual companies found ourselves in a room preparing to embark on a journey. We came together as partners, as an alliance to launch Better Life Farming – and what a journey it has been so far.

I sat down to talk with Lior Peleg who heads corporate marketing at Netafim. Lior had some very insightful things things to say about the exciting future of Agtech. Great Stuff!

Did you know that the average person uses 5,500 liters of water a day?