Israel's Agricultural Genius

We all know that Israel sits at the forefront of agricultural technology among all the nations of the world, innovating our environment for the better!

But Israel's incredible and innovative technology isn't recent. We have been the center of the agricultural world even before Israel officially became an independent country in 1948. In the 1930s, Simcha Blass was the Polish-Israeli water engineer in the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine during the British Mandate).

He made so many influential advancements for Israel, including founding Mekorot, now Israel’s national water company. He was the brains behind the building of the first water pipeline to the Negev, which ultimately helped the formation of 11 Jewish settlements in Southern Israel. Blass even designed the first modern aqueduct of Israel.

But most famously, we cannot forget one of his biggest achievements, the development of the drip irrigation system that Israel still uses today! This system is not only applied in Israel but renowned and used all over the world to help conserve our resources and maintain the beautiful earth we call our home!

Simcha Blass with Eisenhower's 'Ambassador of Water', Eric Johnston.

How did drip irrigation come to be?

Blass got the idea for drip irrigation after a farmer showed him a tree that had been growing (and flourishing) without water. After investigating, Blass discovered that the tree was receiving tiny drops of water from a leaky pipe, which sustained and nourished the tree alone! Inspired, Blass took this concept and began developing a drip irrigation system that could be used for agriculture, farming, and large-scale gardening!

After teaming up with Kibbutz Hazerim and founded the Netafim Irrigation Company, he finished developing the drip irrigation system which we all know and love, and went on to change the world of agriculture!

Not only is this system used on kibbutzim for farming, but even the flowers and trees planted all throughout the very cities we live in use this system.

Next time you pass a bunch of colorful flowers on the street, take a moment to stop and look at the roots! You may just find one of Israel's greatest inventions!