Israel to help Philippines modernize farming

MANILA, Philippines — Israel, through the MASHAV, the Israel Agency for International Development Cooperation of the Israel embassy in Manila, is offering to help the Philippines move from traditional farming to modern agriculture.

In partnership with the Bureau of Plant Industry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the Accelerator Lab, experts held a learning exchange seminar in Quezon City on Thursday to tackle smart and sustainable agriculture of Israel and how to connect it to the current context and opportunities present in the Philippine agricultural sector.

“As the ambassador of Israel to the Philippines, I look forward to materializing the visions for the agriculture sector of the Philippines to address the request of President Marcos,” Ambassador Ilan Fluss said.

He declared that Israel is ready to assist the Philippines to move from traditional subsistence farming to modern smart agriculture, which is based in agronomy, science, technology, economics and sustainability.

During the exchange, three Israeli experts on agriculture shared their experiences and insights with key agricultural stakeholders of the Philippines on global challenges.

Nina Lehmann shared Israel’s agricultural experience; Eli Simenski spoke on crop management strategies in dealing with new pests and unexpected challenges based on the case study of the mango pest called cecid fly (locally known as kurikong), while Moshe Broner spoke on improving irrigation efficiency and resource management as a leading measure in dealing with climate change and market demands.

The seminar focused on the challenges in the Philippines and how Israel’s approach can be adapted to the Philippine context. Also discussed were the strategies on how to deal with the effects of climate change, new ways of working in the sector while collaborating with the private sector, commercial farming, science-based approach to agriculture and water management.

Among those who attended the learning exchange were UNDP Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran, Assistant Secretary Agnes Catherine Miranda of the Department of Agriculture and Mayor Floribar Bautista of Malay, Aklan.