BGU is recognized by the United Nations as a world leader in desert research, water resources and sustainable development of drylands.
BGU’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research are focused on harnessing the arid-zone ecosystem for human habitation. The Blaustein Institutes are comprised of three world-renowned research institutes: the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, the French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, and the Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research. The knowledge gained here is shared with the world, where the rapid expansion of desert, called desertification, affects 1 billion people in 100 countries.
Its Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies (AKIS) offers English-language master and doctoral degree programs in desert studies, and hydrology and water quality.
“You can look at soil erosion from the scientific level, but also at the social level. What are the human practices inked to erosion at a given place and time? How are these linked to political-economic relations?”
– Dr. Yaakov Garb
Desert & Water Research News
see all newsIsrael21C: Israel Uses Innovation to Combat Heatwaves
BGU researchers are taking the lead through innovative solutions to help combat heatwaves and other effects of climate change.
Jerusalem Post: Greenhouse Gases Released Due to Permafrost
BGU researchers go from the Negev desert to the lakes of Alaska and discover an increase in greenhouse gas which could worsen global warming.
IJN: Climate Change Changes Grape Growing
BGU Prof. Aaron Fait & Israeli vineyards reinvent desert viticulture, saving winemaking from Italy to California impacted by climate change.