Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0187/01877.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 27KB | 435 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01877}
$Pretitle{225}
$Title{Israel
Chapter 4C.   Cropping Patterns and Production}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Richard F. Nyrop}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{percent
industrial
tons
production
million
products
oil
value
industry
israeli}
$Date{1979}
$Log{}
Country:     Israel
Book:        Israel, A Country Study
Author:      Richard F. Nyrop
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1979

Chapter 4C.   Cropping Patterns and Production

     The primary areas of cultivation formed the letter C, starting in the
valleys and some slopes of the mountainous north and swinging to the coastal
plain of the central section and inland again to the northern Negev Desert
below the lower West Bank border and inland from the Gaza Strip (see fig. 1).
By the mid-1970s more than two-fifths of the cultivated land lay in the
northern Negev and the Lakhish region northwest of Beersheba as a result of
the development and extension of the national water system. The other main
area of cultivation lay on the coastal plain, accounting for about one-quarter
of the cultivated land. The variation in topographical and climatic conditions
allowed cultivation of a wide range of crops. North of the Sea of Galilee,
for example, apples and bananas grew only fifty kilometers apart.

     A number of factors contributed to a shift in cropping patterns. At
independence the agricultural economy concentrated on a few crops, primarily
grains, oranges, olives, and grapes. The extension of irrigation along with
the variety of climatic conditions made possible a much wider range of
activities, and market factors stimulated their development. The increase
of the urban population, rising incomes, and the growth of local manufacturing
created local markets for new produce. Moreover Israel's location and its
early agricultural seasons permitted cultivation of off-season and early
season fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers for European markets. The social
need for rising farm incomes, balance-of-payments pressure to maximize
exports, and the limited amount of irrigation and agricultural land led
to government policies shifting farming activities toward high value products.
The government's intent and policies were to maximize agricultural income
and take advantage of the country's comparative advantages rather than achieve
self-sufficiency in foods. By 1978 cropping patterns had shifted, but a
continuation toward high value produce was likely in the future.

     By AY 1976 field crops still dominated cropping patterns, accounting
for about 65 percent of the cultivated land compared with 73 percent in
AY 1950. Wheat was by far the most important crop in terms of area (although
not in value), occupying 26 percent of the cultivated area and supplying
somewhat less than half of the country's grain requirements (see table 14,
Appendix A). Field crops that were developed since 1948 included cotton,
sugar beets, and oilseeds.

     Although there was some shift in field crops toward those of higher
value, the main shift was toward fruits and vegetables (see table 15,
Appendix A). In the 1960s a number of new products was added, such as cut
flowers, almonds, avocados, and subtropical fruits. Many of the new products
were introduced for export to West European markets.

     Crops were the most important agricultural activity, contributing 57
percent of the total value of agricultural production (11.7 billion Israeli
Pounds) in AY 1976. The value of crop production was 6.7  billion Israeli
Pounds, of which fruits accounted for 48 percent (citrus fruits, 29 percent);
field crops, 32 percent; vegetables, 17 percent; and miscellaneous, 3 percent.
Over 90 percent of the value of the citrus crop was exported either fresh or
processed (primarily as orange juice). Meat (including poultry and fish) and
dairy products were valued at 5.1 billion Israeli Pounds in AY 1976; meat
accounted for 47 percent; milk, 27 percent; eggs, 20 percent; fish, 4 percent;
and miscellaneous, 2 percent. By the mid-1970s local production largely
satisfied domestic requirements (and even provided some export) of milk, eggs,
poultry, and fish, but the lack of grazing land and a shortage of fodder
required large imports of meat. The diet generally included little meat-only
on special occasions for many families. Fishing and poultry raising (primarily
chicken and turkey) were expanded in the 1960s and 1970s to add to the sources
of protein.

     The high technical efficiency, large increases in yields, and rising
incomes of Jewish farms were only partly shared by non-Jewish farms. The lack
of irrigation was the primary factor, since only 6,500 hectares were irrigated
out of 85,000 hectares of cultivated land on non-Jewish farms in AY 1976.
Field crops predominated on Arab farms, but most of these farms were small,
mechanization was relatively rare, and yields were modest. The most important
fruit cultivated on Arab farms was olives, the yield of which rose
spectacularly only in an occasional year since 1948, apparently because of the
rainfall pattern. Aside from a few wealthy Arab farmers, most earned a very
modest income although considerably improved since 1948 and substantially
higher than most Arab farmers in Jordan or the West Bank before 1967.

Fishing and Forestry

     Zionist pioneers in Palestine encouraged fishing to add protein to the
diet, but Jewish settlers had little experience or interest in fishing.
Fishing remained largely an Arab activity until the Arab uprisings of the
1930s. After that the Jewish fishing industry developed, relying on imported
modern equipment and techniques rather than on the traditional ways of the
area. The fish catch increased from 7,000 tons in AY 1950 to 24,000 tons in AY
1976 (of which a little more than 1,000 tons was exported). Fishing remained
a minor part of the agricultural sector in the 1970s.

     The bulk of the fish was raised and caught in fish ponds that dot the
countryside, primarily on kibbutzim in the north and along the coastal plain.
The ponds used water unfit for agriculture. The principal fish was carp, which
ate grains and food wastes, but to maximize the use of land and water a few
other varieties were stocked to provide year-round breeding. Israeli yearly
yields, averaging 2.7 tons per hectare in AY 1976, were among the highest in
the world and substantially above European fish ponds, Some ponds had achieved
over 4 tons of fish per hectare. The fish catch from fish ponds amounted to
13,800 tons in AY 1976.

     Aside from 2,000 tons of fish caught in the Sea of Galilee in AY 1976,
the rest of the fish were caught offshore. Modern vessels operated from Eilat
and Mediterranean ports. The largest catch (5,300 tons) was in the Atlantic
Ocean and off the east coast of Africa. Sardines were the usual catch along
Israel's Mediterranean coast, but they amounted to only 1,200 tons.

     Forests were much more extensive in biblical times than in present-day
Israel. In the intervening centuries, the trees had been cut to make room for
cultivation and particularly to supply fuel. Zionist settlers started
afforestation programs to reduce erosion, but the bulk of the  afforestation
was accomplished after independence. The government and the Jewish National
Fund undertook most of the his programs until an agreement in 1959 gave the
fund responsibility for afforestation. Tree planting was important in Zionist
ideology. Diaspora Jews were frequently requested to make donations "to
plant a tree in Israel" to commemorate special events such as the birth of
a child. The impact often was dramatic to the visitor's eyes and nose in some
of the arid stretches-the desert had been made to bloom.

     By 1976 there were 35,000 hectares of natural forests, primarily in
Galilee, and nearly 61,000 hectares of afforested land broadly scattered
across the country. The afforested areas were predominantly coniferous
and eucalyptus. The Jewish National Fund owned about 49,000 hectares of the
afforested land, the