The Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, through MASHAV – Israel Agency for International Development Cooperation, in partnership with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and the United Nations Development Programme in the Philippines through Accelerator Lab, held a learning exchange seminar to tackle smart and sustainable agriculture of Israel and how to connect it to the current context and opportunities present in the agricultural sector of the Philippines.
“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. The Israeli Ambassador elaborated that Israel is ready to assist the Philippines to move from traditional subsistence farming to modern smart agriculture, which is based on agronomy, Science, technology, economics, and sustainability.
Three Israeli experts on agriculture shared their experiences and insights with the key agricultural stakeholders of the Philippines on the following topics: Global challenges, sharing Israel’s agricultural experience by Nina Lehmann; Crop management – strategies in dealing with the new pest and unexpected challenges based on the case study of the mango pest called cecid fly (locally known as kurikong) by Eli Simenski; and Improving irrigation efficiency and resource management as a leading measure in dealing with climate change and market demands by Moshe Broner.
The seminar focused on the challenges in the Philippines and how Israel’s approach can be adapted in 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 others.
In attendance during the discussions were UNDP RR Selva Ramachandran, Assistant Secretary Agnes Catherine Miranda of the Department of Agriculture, and Mayor Floribar Bautista of Malay, Aklan. Also featured was Jackie Go, a Filipino entrepreneur who shared her experience and the promising results after using the Israeli approach in her cacao farm here in the Philippines. The seminar was held on 10 November 2022 in Quezon City.