Conference Program
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Registration
Opening Ceremony
Moderator & Chairperson: Dr. Uri Yermiyahu, President, Agritech Conference
Mr. Ofir Libstein, Agritech Israel Chairman
Min. Uri Ariel, Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural development
Min. Eli Cohen – Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry
Gov. Eric Holcomb, Governor of Indiana
Mr. Adiv Baruch, Chairman, Israel Export Institute
Prof. Eli Feinerman, CEO, ARO, Volcani Center
Mr. Aharon Aharon, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority
Public Policy
Moderator & Chairperson: Dr. Uri Yermiyahu, President, Agritech Conference
09:30-10:00: Ms. Monique Barbut, Head of UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification)
Agriculture and Food Policies in Arid and Semi-Arid Countries
MASHAV Special Session Part 1:
Marking 60 Years of MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Moderator: Amb. Gil Haskel, Head of MASHAV, MFA
Ministerial Round Table – Challenges and solutions in agricultural and food policies in arid and semi-arid areas
Q&A with Experts:
Dr. Alon Ben-Gal, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center
Prof. Pedro Berliner, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Prof. Alon Tal, Chair Department of Public Policy, Tel Aviv University
Smallholders Farming Combating the Desert
MASHAV Special Session Part 2:
Marking 60 Years of MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Moderator: Amb. Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Head of MASHAV, MFA
Q&A with Experts:
Dr. Shoshan Haran, Founder & General Manager, Fair Planet
Ms. Tammy Erann Soussan, Head of the French Division in MATC, MASHAV
Dr. Ram Fishman, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Mana Center, Tel Aviv University
Award Ceremony
Award Ceremony for Agritech Israel Founder, Mr. Rafi Ramon and former Agritech Israel Manager, Mr. Dani Meiri.
Lunch Break
Family & Smallholders Farming
Moderator: Dr. Ruti From-Arica, Director of the Planning Authority, Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
13:00-13:30: Keynote: Dr. Shoshan Haran, Founder & General Manager, Fair Planet – Fair Planet – Bridging the Seed Gap
13:30-13:50: Ms. Tammy Erann Soussan, Head of the French Division in MATC, MASHAV- Technical Innovation for Poverty Alleviation: The TIPA Model for empowering Smallholder Farmers in Africa
13:50-14:10: Dr. Ram Fishman, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Mana Center, Tel Aviv University – Understanding barriers to technology adoption by smallholders
14:10-14:30: Ms. Nitzan Solan, Co-founder & CEO, Living Box LTD – Hydroponics, grow anywhere for everyone
14:30-14:50: Mr. Bing Zhao, P4P Director and Global Coordinator, UN World Food Programme – Pro-smallholder procurement, and the importance of market access
Protected Cultivation and Plant Protection
Moderator: Dr. Arnon Dag, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center
13:00-13:30: Keynote: Prof. Dani Shtienberg, Deputy Director for Strategic Development, ARO, Volcani Center – Management of bacterial canker of tomatoes grown under net in semi-arid conditions
13:30-13:50: Prof. Avital Bechar, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Robotics for precision agriculture tasks in protected crops
13:50-14:10: Ms. Alona Ron-Snir, Business Development Manager, DryGair Energies – Innovative solution for controlling humidity within the growing facilities/ greenhouse
14:10-14:30: Dr. Hagai Yasuor, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Heat stress in protective vegetable crops, mechanisms and agronomical challenges
14:30-14:50: Dr. Meir Teitel, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Methods for the reduction of heat load in protected crops under warm climatic conditions
Coffee Break
Global Projects
Moderator: Mr. Zvi Herman, Executive Director, LR Group
15:10-15:35: Keynote: Prof. Dr. Bekir Erol AK, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Turkey – The impact of Atatürk Dam on horticultural and field crops at southeast anatolian region
15:35-16:00: Keynote: Mr. Frank DiBello, CEO and President of Space Florida Corporation – Discovery science from space towards solutions to agriculture and water challenges
16:00-16:20: Mr. Arnon Rosenbaum, VP Projects & Business Development, Netafim – Bridging the water gap with micro-irrigation technology. Ramthal Lift Irrigation Project – Case study of the world’s largest drip irrigation project
16:20-16:40: Dr. Patricia Imas, Chief Agronomist, Fertilizers Ltd. – Potash for Life – A large scale project for last-mile knowledge delivery to farmers on balanced use of fertilizers in India
16:40-17:00: Mr. Moti Harari, Flowers and Garden Plants Head Researcher, Southern Arava R&D – Furrows in the desert- Agricultural development project, Turkana, Kenya
Africa
Moderator: Mr. Rafi Nevo, Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Kibbutz Industries Association
15:10-15:30: Keynote: Mr. Ran Maidan, President & CEO, Netafim
15:30-16:10: Panel: The Future is now: Transformations in Agriculture Happening in Africa
Moderator: Ms. Wendy Singer, Executive Director, Start-Up Nation Central
- Ms. Winifred Ngangure Kabega, Head of Investment Promotion and Facilitation, Rwanda Development Board (RDB)/Mr. Emmanuel Hategeka, COO, Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
- Mr. Richard Colback, IFC Sub-Saharan Africa irrigation leader
- Mr. Robert Coleman, Managing Director, Dangote Rice Ltd.
- Mr. Abubakar Bakhresa, Managing Director, Bakhresa Group
- Mr. Amadou Moussa, General Director, Agricultural Engineering Administration, Niger Agriculture Ministry
- Mr. Elad Levi, Managing Director, Netafim-Africa
16:10-16:30: Keynote: Amb. Gideon Behar, Head of Bureau Africa Division, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Africa: The implications of climate change, desertification and population growth
16:30-16:45: Mr. Hillel Magen, VP Agronomy, ICL Fertilizers Ltd. and Director, IPI – Delivering fertilization knowledge through a large scale reach out project to potato and tomato farmers in Kenya
16:45-17:00: Prof. Itamar Glazer, Deputy Director for Research and Development, ARO, Volcani Center – Strategies and approaches for the support of African agricultural development
Registration
Smart Agriculture
Moderator: Dr. Victor Alchanatis, Senior Researcher, Agriculture Engineering Institute, ARO, Volcani Center
08:30-08:55: Keynote: Dr. George Vellidis, Professor, Director of Academic Programs, Crop and Soil Sciences Department, Tifton Campus, University of Georgia – SmartIrrigation – the Pathway to Sustainable Intensification
08:55-09:15: Keynote: Prof. Eugene Kandel, CEO, Start-Up Nation Central – Overview on Israeli innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Agriculture
09:15-09:30: Prof. Arnon Karnieli, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – Selected applications of the VENµS satellite for precision agriculture
09:30-09:45: Mr. Ran Maidan, President & CEO, Netafim – From Depending on Rain Clouds to Harvesting the Power of the Digital Cloud
09:45-10:00: Prof. Ilan Halachmi, Research Scientist, Head of the PLF lab, ARO, Volcani Center – Adapting sensor-based precision livestock farming (PLF) to climate changes and semi-arid agriculture
Israel Innovation Authority Start-Up Presentations
10:00-10:15: Moderator & Keynote: Ms. Anya Eldan, Vice President, Start-Up Division, Israel Innovation Authority – Precision Agriculture – Growth Engine?
10:15-11:00: Start-Up Pitch:
- AGROWING – Agrowing has vast experience in video and image compression and processing, as well as intimate knowledge of the way cameras and sensors work.
- CROPX TECHNOLOGIES LTD. – Cropx offers an integrated hardware and software system for measuring soil moisture, temperature and electrical conductivity and sending that data to the cloud where it can be accessed from any mobile or fixed device.
- EDETE – Edete Precision Agriculture Technologies is solving the world’s ever-growing pollination challenge by developing and manufacturing an efficient, automated fruit orchard pollination system and providing optimized pollination services to companies and growers.
- FIELDIN TECH – FieldIn is an end-to-end pest management software solution for professional growers of specialty crops. We help growers and large grower organizations save money on more efficient crop protection practices, reducing overall use of pesticides and eliminating spray mistakes.
- MANNA IRRIGATION INTELLIGENCE – The Manna Irrigation Intelligence solution is a sensor-free, cloud-based software that provides growers with irrigation recommendations, crop monitoring maps and irrigation planning tools.
- TEVEL AEROBOTICS TECHNOLOGIES – Start-Up company who develops the WIZARD, A Fleet of autonomous airborne robots for fruit harvesting, thinning, and pruning.
- TRELLIS – Trellis uses cutting-edge AI algorithms to help you understand and predict real-time threats to your supply chain, including missed targets in quality, quantity, price, and timing, so you can plan accordingly or even avoid them entirely.
- SATURAS – SWP sensor-based precision irrigation system provides a solution that combines accuracy, ease of use, and affordability. Embedding sensors in the trunk provides direct contact with water tissues for accurate and continuous stem water potential and status measurement.
Coffee Break
Water and Irrigation (Qualities)
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Alex Furman, Director, the Grand Water Research Institute, Technion
11:20-11:50: Keynote: Dr. Jose Enrique Fernandez Luque, Senior Researcher, Institute of Natural Resources and Agobiology, CSIC Seville – How far are we from effective irrigation scheduling
11:50-12:10: Dr. H.P. Singh, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Council, India – Efficient use of water in Agriculture for enhancing farm output
12:10-12:30: Dr. Shmuel Assouline, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Long-term irrigation with treated wastewater: Effects on soil properties and growth conditions
12:30-12:50: Dr. Alon Ben-Gal, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Salt of the earth? The potential and challenges of irrigation with non-conventional water sources
12:50-13:10 : Dr. Adva Zach-Maor, VP R&D, Amiad Filtration – Analog innovation in a digital world – the new concept for sustainable filtration solutions
Agriculture Regional Projects and Project Financing
Moderator: Mr. Ami Lustig, Public management Chairman of Agro division at the Israel Export Institute
11:20-11:45: Keynote: Prof. Uri Shani, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – ”Red – Dead conduit and regional water solutions”
11:45-12:10: Mr. Arnaud Cachard, Director and Head of Export Finance International, Credit Suisse, Switzerland & Ms. Yeliz Tufekcioglu, Head of European Region International Network, SACE
12:10-12:40: Ms. Nina Lehmann, Director for Agricultural Development Cooperation in Africa, Training Programs and Environment, CINADCO & Ms. Shuli Kurzon van Gelder, Director, Planning, Evaluation and Partnerships, MASHAV- Cooperation between agricultural extension services through capacity building programs
12:40-13:00: Dr. Arnon Dag, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Mid East Regional Cooperation on development of Olive agriculture and industry
13:00-13:20: Dr. Gal Yaacobi, Research & Development Manager, Bio-Bee – Fruit flies management using biological control at a regional scale
Lunch Break
Water and Irrigation (Operations, Conveyance, Economics)
Moderator: Ms. Anat Lowengart, Head of the Agroecology Division in the Extension Service, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
14:00-14:25: Keynote: Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch, Ben Gurion University of the Negev – Drip fertigation for staple food crops: can we do it?
14:25-14:45: Prof. Jack Gilron, Co-Founder and CTO, ROTEC (Reverse Osmosis Technologies) – Innovations in desalination industry
14:45-15:05: Dr. Ofer Beeri, Chief Scientist, Rivulis & Manna Irrigation – Detecting plant water potential using remote sensing, for improved irrigation decisions
15:05-15:25: Mr. Zafrir Sofer, CEO, Palgey Maim – Effluents- from burden to resource of irrigation
15:25-15:45: Dr. Shabtai Cohen, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Crop water requirements and irrigation under screens and plastic without climate control
15:45-15:50: Mr. Dubi Raz, Corporate Agronomy Director, Netafim – DripByDrip – new approach to fertigation
Soil
Moderator: Dr. Dror Minz, Director, Institute for Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, ARO, Volcani Center
14:00-14:30: Keynote: Prof. Rene Castro-Salazar, Assistant Director-General of Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department, FAO – The extent of forest in dryland biomes
14:30-14:50: Dr. Gil Eshel, Soil Scientist, Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Challenges in protecting soil health in intensive agriculture located in a dry Mediterranean climate
14:50-15:10: Dr. Guy Levy, Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Soil sodicity, salinity and structure degradation resulting from irrigation with low-quality water
15:10-15:30: Dr. Eli Zaady, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Ecological stabilization of movable sand dunes at the edge of agricultural fields
Coffee Break
Combating Desertification – Agriculture and Environment under Drought Conditions
Moderator: Mr. Itzik Ben-David, Senior Deputy Director General – Foreign Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
16:10-16:35: Keynote: Hon. Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality – The Netherlands – Your Ally In The Battle Against Climate Change
16:35-17:00: Keynote: Dr. Guillaume Gruere, Senior Policy Analyst, Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD – Confronting water scarcity risks in agriculture: what role for polices?
17:00-17:20: Prof. Marcelo Sternberg, Tel Aviv University – Effects of climate change on grazing management: knows and unknowns in time of uncertainty
17:20-17:40: Dr. Rakefet David-Schwartz, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Mechanisms to cope with water stress in forest trees at the semi-arid area in Israel
17:40-18:00: Dr. Zvi Peleg, Senior Lecturer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Saving roots for rainy days
Crops
Moderator: Prof. Yoram Kapulnik, Executive Director, BARD
16:10-16:40: Keynote: Prof. Yosef Mizrahi, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev – Cacti as possible future multipurpose desert crops
16:40-17:00: Mr. Miles Hurrell, COO, Fonterra, New Zealand & Australia farmers & Dairy Co-operative – Adaptability: the changing dynamics in resource availability NZ – and lessons to be learned from arid regions
17:00-17:20: Dr. David J. Bonfil, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Israel, natural field lab – Wheat and climate change
17:20-17:40: Dr. Yuval Cohen, Senior Researcher, ARO, Volcani Center – Date palm cultivation in Israel: Challenges and research achievements
17:40-18:00: Mr. Gabi Wolkinson, CEO, Sea Dream, Microdel Group – Fish growth in the Desert