A Review: Selected Agricultural Issues and Practices in the Republic of Turkey, Israel and the West Bank

Turkey’s major agricultural production occurs on small farms. Turkish farmers want information about new crop varietals, equipment for all phases of production and new markets. Israeli production of agricultural products and related items occurs in kibbutzim and moshavim. The Agricultural Research Organization, Israel’s major institution of agricultural research and development, conducts research with agriculturalists for improvements relative to gardening, plant crops, afforestation and livestock production. In the West Bank, Palestinian farmers and herders comprise the bulk of agriculture, the backbone of the economy. Water delivery is a major concern in the Republic of Turkey, Israel and the West Bank. Eventually, the $32 billon Southeastern Anatolia Project will deliver water to irrigable land in Turkey. Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, has developed a water reclamation system that supplies water for drinking and irrigation even in the Negev Desert. In the West Bank, approximately 6% of the cultivated areas have irrigated agriculture.