However, Israeli agriculture is an efficient production sector. Taking 1999 as an example, agricultural producers, who account for about 3% of the total labor force in China, have achieved an agricultural output value of 3.28 billion US dollars and a per capita income of about 40,000 US dollars. In that year, the total agricultural export of Israel reached US$ 65.438+228 million, and the average export of an agricultural labor force was about US$ 65.438 +0.5 million. Israel turned the desert into an oasis and created an amazing miracle. Drought and water shortage are the enemies of Israel's agricultural production, so "saving every drop of water" and "watering plants instead of soil" have become their guiding principles. They must save water (including brackish water) for irrigation as much as possible, and adopt drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation technology and recycling according to the needs of crop growth. Drip irrigation makes the utilization rate of water reach 95%, and the reuse rate of urban sewage reaches over 30%. Agricultural water demand accounts for about 60% of the total water consumption, of which 63% is met by fresh water, 27% by brackish water, and the rest 10% is met by treated sewage. In the past, the Negev Desert in the Sea of Death has been dotted with oases, and cotton production ranks among the top in the world. Agricultural miracle in the desert: the first Israeli prime minister, Ben? 6? 1 Gurion once predicted that the future of Israel lies in the southern desert. Water is the lifeblood of desert reconstruction. Starting from 1952, Israel spent15 billion US dollars to build the10/year "North-South Water Diversion Project" with a length of 145 km, and then transported it to all parts of the country through small and medium-sized pipelines. Many places have to be drawn to residential areas in the mountains. 1962, a farmer happened to find that the crops at the leaking water pipe were growing very well. Infiltrating water into the soil at the same point is the most effective way to reduce evaporation, effectively irrigate and control water, fertilizers and pesticides. This discovery was immediately supported by the government, and Netafim, a world-famous drip irrigation company run by Kibbutz, came into being. 1964. After the invention of drip irrigation, the total agricultural water consumption in Israel has been stable at 65.438+0.3 billion cubic meters for 30 years, while the agricultural output has increased many times. The principle of drip irrigation is simple, however, it is very complicated to make water drip evenly on every plant. The anti-blocking plastic pipes, connectors, filters and controllers they developed are the crystallization of high technology. Today, more than 80 countries in the world use Israeli drip irrigation technology, and Netfim has an annual income of 230 million US dollars, 80% of which comes from exports. Drip irrigation fundamentally changed the traditional farming methods. There are pipelines all over Israel, and the blue and white water main beside the road is connected with countless drip irrigation systems. The site is a black plastic water storage tank with a diameter exceeding 1 m. The computer automatically seeps water mixed with chemical fertilizers and pesticides into the roots of plants. Drip irrigation has integrated high technology into every inch of land and covered desert cities with thick green shade. Computer-controlled drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation systems are the foundation of modern agriculture in Israel. Its huge economic and social benefits prove that scientific irrigation represented by drip irrigation will greatly alleviate the global water crisis. Arava Valley, with an annual rainfall of only 25 ~ 50 mm, is located in the Negev Desert of Israel, and its northern end is bordered by the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point in the world at an altitude of -400 meters, and the summer temperature is as high as 40 degrees Celsius. The dry desert is high in salt. The Negev desert region is rich in underground saline water. It used to be thought that salt water, even brackish water, could not be used for irrigation. However, Israeli scientists began to use brackish water for agricultural irrigation. Most of the unique valleys (fields) in western and northern Israel use agricultural fresh water, and brackish water is the real water source for sand control. The scientific development and application of desert brackish water is another outstanding contribution of Israeli scientists to the development of desert agriculture. It was found that cotton, tomato and melon were easily irrigated with brackish water with the highest concentration of 0.4 1% ~ 0.47%. Although crop yield will decrease, product quality will improve. If the sweetness of melon irrigated with brackish water increases, the melon type is more conducive to export; But the content of soluble total substances in tomatoes will increase, and the sweetness will also increase. High-quality brackish water irrigated vegetables and fruits such as Negev tomatoes have occupied a place in European and American markets. After years of efforts, Israel has cultivated cotton, melon, sweet pepper, tomato, olive, dog tooth grass, green bristlegrass and other crops suitable for the growth of brackish water in the Negev desert. Hybrid varieties cultivated by biotechnology, such as date palms, banana trees and sunflowers, have created a desert miracle with low water consumption and high output. In addition, in order to resist pests and diseases easily caused by dry climate, scientists have also cultivated a variety of new varieties that are resistant to disasters and diseases.
Now, the Negev Desert, which has experienced thousands of years of desert, is dotted with more than 10,000 hectares of desert oases. Each hectare of greenhouse can harvest 3 million roses in one season, and the maximum tomato yield per hectare is 500 tons. The income of farmers has also increased from 170 to more than 10000. There are nearly 500 families living in this desert, accounting for only 6% of Israel's total land area, but the export of fresh fruits and vegetables accounts for half of Israel's total export, and the export of flowers also accounts for 12%. At present, Israeli agricultural products have occupied 40% of the European fruit and vegetable market and become the second largest flower supplier in Europe after the Netherlands. Fruit and breeding fruit production plays an important role in agricultural production in Israel. In 2002, the fruit area in Israel reached 36,000 hectares (excluding 65.438+0.7 million hectares of sweet orange products), and the output value reached 56.5438+0.3 billion US dollars. The fruit exported reached 74,000 tons, accounting for 65,438+05% of the total agricultural output in Israel. Among the exported fruits, avocados account for 49,000 tons and fresh grapes account for 4,000 tons. In 2002, Israel produced 530,000 tons of citrus fruits, and its orchard area was 6,543,800 hectares. The annual export is about 55,000 tons, accounting for 12.5% of all fresh agricultural products. The citrus fruits mentioned here include grapefruit, lemon and other small varieties of citrus fruits. There are more than 50,000 hectares of other orchards in Israel, with an annual output of 500,000 tons of fruit worth 450 million US dollars. Various climatic conditions enable Israel to pick fruits at the beginning and end of the fruit season, even after the peak season. In this way, fruits can be sold in the market for a long time. Vegetable production also occupies a very important position in Israel, with an output value of about 672 million US dollars, accounting for 2 1% of the total agricultural output value. The open field production is about 45,000 hectares, and the greenhouse production is relatively high, covering an area of 4,000 hectares, mainly tomatoes, sweet peppers, leafy vegetables, watermelons and melons. The most surprising thing is that some private companies attach importance to agricultural research. In Ben Doyle's company, the owner started fruit breeding from his grandfather's generation and persisted for decades. As a result, there were 42 varieties of plums and 3 varieties of peaches/kloc-0. The picking period can be extended from May to165438+1early October. In addition, there are apricot 15 varieties (picking period is 3 months) and nectarine 15 varieties (picking period is 5 months). The flesh and peel of these fruits are different in color, but they are of good quality. For example, a box of 385g plums (6 plums) can be sold for 3.5 ~ 4 pounds in the UK (equivalent to 55 yuan RMB about 1 kg)! At present, Israeli agricultural products have occupied 40% of the European fruit and vegetable market and become the second largest flower supplier in Europe after the Netherlands. The Israeli government attributed these achievements to the great success of advanced science and technology in the development of desert agriculture. Science, Technology and Human Resources The main reason for the development of agriculture in Israel is that the country attaches great importance to scientific research, development and popularization. It not only has a lot of investment and manpower, but also has strict organization and effective measures. In 2000, Israel's national civil R&D (R&; D) The cost is about US$ 4.786 billion, an increase of16% compared with 1999; It accounts for 4.2% of GDP. R & enterprises in the same period; R&D expenses account for about 40% of the national civil R&D expenses; 65% of the total cost. Although there are various sources of funds for agricultural research in Israel, it is still mainly funded by the government. According to the estimate of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the agricultural research expenditure of 1996 is 1 1000 billion US dollars, of which the government input accounts for about 90%. Among the government input, the Ministry of Agriculture is the main input, accounting for 63% of the total input, and the remaining 27.5% comes from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education. In addition to government input, private enterprises and private funds also support some agricultural scientific research, which is close to 10%. From 65438 to 0996, the Ministry of Agriculture spent 2.6% of agricultural GDP on agricultural research, ranking fourth among OECD countries, of which about half (US$ 40 million) was mainly used for the salary of its agricultural research organization (ARO) and the basic operation of the laboratory. If there were no extreme drought, Israel would not have a water-saving system that almost maximizes the effectiveness of every drop of water, nor would it bother to study drip irrigation technology and soil moisture conservation technology; If land were not scarce, Israel would not have efficient agriculture, and it would not be difficult to reclaim farmland in deserts and Gobi. Today, Israel's exports of water-saving drip irrigation technology, desert control technology, gene breeding technology, efficient planting and breeding technology, fruit preservation technology, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and equipment have far exceeded the total agricultural output value, and agricultural projects account for more than half of all international cooperation projects in Israel. In order to make better use of desert resources, Israel pays special attention to introducing various drought-tolerant plants from abroad, especially desert plants. There are several desert plant research centers and test sites in China. In addition to striking and various cactus plants, there are some strange drought-tolerant trees. It is said that most of these plants are widely used and have good development prospects. After years of research, Israeli scientists have been able to tell the characteristics and economic value of various plants. It turns out that the desert is also a land full of vitality. In Israel, the life cycle of a new crop variety in the market is 3-4 years. According to the characteristics of desert climate, Israel has developed an elevated desert greenhouse with roof ventilation facilities. The frame material of greenhouse is generally galvanized with aluminum alloy, and its service life can reach 10 years or more. The fine-hole nylon net covered in the greenhouse can effectively prevent pests from flying in, thus avoiding spraying pesticides, and the service life is generally 6 years. At present, the area of desert greenhouse in Israel has exceeded 3000 hectares, and the popularization of desert greenhouse has greatly promoted the development of agriculture in Israel. High-quality farmers are the basic guarantee of modern agriculture and society. Israel has always attached importance to education and considered education investment as the most fundamental economic investment. Training courses are often held in agricultural extension centers, and farmers' educational level generally reaches junior college level, and they can quickly master new agricultural technologies.