To make the desert bloom
If there is one thing I have come to be very fascinated about since we moved to Israel 14 years ago, it is how this country has managed to make the driest areas flourish.
I’m still extremely proud of each and every plant we have succeeded to grow and kept alive 🙂 in our kibbutz garden up in the north or Israel, in the Galilee, however, I realize that here in Arava it’s another level of knowledge altogether to succeed in keeping any plant at all alive.
More than half of Israel is made up of desert; the Judean Desert, from the Judean mountains in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. South of the Judean desert, the Negev desert, and Arava which stretches all the way down to the Red Sea and Eilat in the south.
The farmers of Arava, one of the harshest places on earth when it comes to climate, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius during the summer months and without any annual rainfall worth mentioning (25-50 mm of precipitation annually), have despite the severe climate proved themselves exceptionally well when it comes to farming, succeeding to literally make the desert bloom. Around 60% of Israel’s agricultural production for export comes from the Arava area in particular.
Vidor Center
On the way home after our last weekend in Eilat, we stopped at the visitor center in Hatzeva, Vidor Center, to get a guided tour of the life of farmers in this part of the desert. We learned about how they developed their agricultural techniques with everything from hydro-technology, ways to prevent the water inside the large greenhouse tents from evaporating too quickly, and how they have succeeded with new types of vegetables, fruits and even flowers. We also learned about how they succeed in regards to water supply. Israel is one of the countries with the highest reuse of its water, close to 90%. For comparison, Spain, which is one of the leading countries in Europe, recycles about 60% of its water, while the United States recycles around 10%.
During the tour we also visited the large greenhouse tents to better understand the technologies used. Everything from strawberries and peppers, to melons and cucumbers grow horizontally. This in order to keep the vegetables and fruits from coming into contact with the hot sandy floor, and to make it easier for those who pick the crops. Visitors and farmers from all over the world come here to learn, study and experiment together in order to make the world a little greener!
This visitor center is a must for anyone traveling to or from Eilat. Looking forward to bringing groups of English speaking tourists here as soon as the Corona restrictions allow!
