Tech Ingenuity Helps Desert Bloom with Produce
Tech Ingenuity Helps Desert Bloom with Produce
March 19, 2012
In the arid Arava valley, which lies between the Negev and the Mediterranean Sea, BGU researchers are able to grow produce despite the region’s scarce less than one inch per year of rainfall.
BGU researcher Dr. Naftali Lazarovitch of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR), has developed alternative methods of finding water to grow vegetables in this region. In this case, Lazarovitch and his team look to the ground, instead of the sky, for the water needed to cultivate and grow produce such as tomatoes, bell peppers, and cantaloupe in the desert.
Crop cultivation in this arid environment Research uses irrigation that comes from ground water six feet below the surface. The dry climate leaves little room for watering error, as one day of missed moisture can be the difference between an abundant or dried out crop. But luckily there’s an app for that.
With a sophisticated set of electric sensors, Dr. Lazarovitch is able to receive moisture level readings at any time of day to his smartphone.
The techniques being perfected at BGU are being shared with area farmers to help them succeed and expand their output.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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