By Abigail Klein Leichman The coronavirus crisis proved that no country should depend on imports for food security, says Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) Partner Michal Drayman. “God forbid if we don’t have the internal ability to produce our own fresh produce,” she tells ISRAEL21c. Yet Covid isn’t the only crisis affecting food security. Water is scarce due to climate change and wasteful farming practices.
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Pests, weeds and crop diseases are building resistance to the toxic chemicals used to control them. Neither farmers nor consumers want their fruits and veggies coated with chemical residues, but there aren’t enough safe and effective alternatives. All these factors are pushing forward a range of cost-effective eco-friendly solutions from Israel, a world leader in agricultural technology. The need is even more acute now that the European Union has declared a goal of a 50% reduction in chemical pesticide use by 2030. “Without technology, this will be very difficult to accomplish,” says Drayman. “We believe that the growing demand for environmental protection, along with regulatory requirements, are generating a significant market for agritech.” International investors including corporate giants such as Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer are investing in green Israeli agtech, Drayman says. Domestic support comes from the government and several funds and accelerators, including JVP’s ...
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