Israel Agribusiness Need for More Traditional Technologies Due to Impact from Iron Swords War
Smart farming in Israel: harnessing the power of GPS tracking in precision agriculture.
The development and implementation of precision agriculture or site-specific farming has been made possible by combining the Global Positioning System (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS). These technologies enable the coupling of real-time data collection with accurate position information, leading to the efficient manipulation and analysis of large amounts of geospatial data. GPS-based applications in precision farming are being used for farm planning, field mapping, soil sampling, tractor guidance, crop scouting, variable rate applications, and yield mapping. GPS allows farmers to work during low visibility field conditions such as rain, dust, fog, and darkness.
Farming in Israel has always been a challenging task, as farmers struggle with desert landscapes, extreme weather conditions, and high-water stress levels. Thanks to technology, Israel has managed to achieve remarkable success. AI, drones, sensors, precise weather forecasting models, and autonomous vehicles are just a few examples of technologies revamping every aspect of the farming chain in the country.
War’s GPS disruption effects on automated farming systems
Beginning with the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and throughout the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has had to intentionally disrupt navigation systems along those borders to impair weapons like drones and missiles that use these platforms. In the field of agriculture, the interruption to the current activity has significant consequences which are expressed in a decrease in productivity on the one hand, and an increase in production costs on the other.
The new landscape
Overnight, the industry lost its innovative capabilities to perform routine yet vital operations such as sowing, harvesting, spraying and cattle management faster and more accurately. So far, the only solutions farmers have come up with is to bring back veteran and retired farmers who know how to operate ‘old school’ technology. Yet, this solution will not solve the decrease in productivity and increase in production costs.
This challenge to the local agriculture sector in Israel presents ample opportunities for U.S. companies that either offer more traditional technology or other, non-GPS based, technology that enables precision agriculture or site-specific farming. U.S. agribusiness companies are widely regarded for their innovation, quality, after sale service, engineering, and consulting expertise. Furthermore, the United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force in 1985 and is a significant benefit for U.S. businesses as U.S. manufactured goods can enter Israel duty-free.
Next Steps
A U.S. company interested in further information about this, or other Agribusiness opportunities, can contact yariv.moravnik-shavitt@trade.gov. Additionally, U.S. firms interested in expanding sales in Israel should consider working with the U.S. Commercial Service in Israel to explore matchmaking, market research or other assistance that may prove beneficial.
Resources
GPS disruption due to war wrecks havoc on automated farming systems