'Organics by the sea of Galilee' Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, south of the Sea of Galilee, is the home of Mario Levy, the acknowledged father of organic agriculture in Israel. In the early 1970s, concerned about the increasing amount of chemicals the kibbutz was using to control their pest problems, Mario Levy initiated a small-scale experiment with organic agriculture. Today, Sde Eliyahu remains a religious (though not fanatically so) community, running a largely organic, mixed farm, every aspect of which is also a self supporting commercial enterprise. It includes banana groves, avocado and citrus trees, salad crops and a thriving herb farm. It also includes a composting business producing organic compost not only for the farm's own use but for external sale as well. Other enterprises include date palms, a fish farm and a successful dairy herd - despite the unsuitability of the climate for dairy cattle who, as a result, live most of their lives under cover. The kibbutz also sports its own biological research laboratory which, working in close partnership with Dutch bio-control giant, Koppert, breeds insects for biological control and bumble-bees for pollination. It is indeed a matter of some pride to the laboratory that an increasing number of their customers are conventional farmers seeking biological solutions to pest problems that have resisted chemical treatments. The high temperatures in sub-tropical countries such as Israel encourage the rapid growth of pests that makes biological pest control hard to establish. Because of the speed at which they can multiply, without constant (and expensive) monitoring an invading pest can wipe out a whole crop in an alarmingly short time. However those same hot temperatures also create the ideal environment for the Sde Eliyahu laboratories to breed their insects for sale and their bumble-bees for hire. Bumble-bees are now used to pollinate 90% of not only Israel's but the world's tomatoes. The Sde Eliyahu laboratories hire out their bees to both conventional and organic farmers across Israel. Sde Eliyahu's banana plantations, although healthy and abundant, are being partially ploughed in. The EU/US 'banana war' has reduced Israel's quota to such a derisory level that it is no longer economic to keep the groves. This is unfortunate as Israel is one of the few banana-growing countries to have escaped the black Zikatuga that is destroying the plantations of the West Indies, South America and Africa (and causing bananas to be one of the most highly sprayed crops in production - up to 50 times per year in the worst hit areas). The variable climate of Israel is helpful in controlling banana pests. However, because of substantially higher labour costs should the West Indies or South America find a way of growing organic bananas successfully - at the moment they can only grow them for a couple of years before the groves are polluted by surrounding plantations - Israel would be priced out of the market. Avocados Israeli avocados (both organic and non organic) fare better than bananas in world markets - no quotas, fewer pests and less competition from low labour cost growers. Because of the height of the trees, even non-organic trees are rarely sprayed, but they are almost continually fertilised with nitrogen through a drip water system. Additives are also used to stunt the trees for easier harvesting and to even out and 'fatten up' the shape of the avocados. It is a buyer's nostrum that 'the consumer' does not like the longer 'bottle neck' natural shape of an organically grown avocado. Organic crops on the other hand are fertilised with heavy dressings of locally made compost and chicken feathers and moistened with continual low level sprays to reach the shallow and wide spreading tree roots. Bumble-bees are once again used for pollination. Along with avocados, organic tomatoes are Israel's largest organic export - and illustrate only too well the problems they have competing with other low-cost European producers such as Spain. Not only is the latter's growing season as long but their transport to European markets involves one trip on a refrigerated lorry rather than a series of moves from depot to ship and from ship to refrigerated lorry - with all the handling costs and risk of damage that these involve. To outflank the competition they are developing specialist varieties such as on-vine and cherry tomatoes and, for the future, high lycopeine (powerful anti-cancer nutrient) content tomatoes. Pest control methods for both tomatoes and herbs also illustrate how effective simple physical intervention can be. Fine netting is widely used in herb propagation to prevent the pests reaching the products. Mole damage in tomato greenhouses was reduced from 10-12 plants a day to 1-2 per week by the use of a battery powered ultra sound probe pushed into the corner of a mole run. Over 80% of Israel's total organic output goes for export to Europe, although Israel is most insistent that it does not want to compete with local growers. Where local seasonal crops are available (strawberries, tomatoes, celery, carrots, cucumber etc) Israeli production is geared to supply only in the months when the local product is not available. They also aim to produce only 'top of the range' specialist products more suited to their highly sophisticated production methods and varied climate. Originally Germany was the largest customer for Israeli exports but the last few years has seen an explosion in the British market - greatly encouraged by the supermarkets who are Israel's largest, and most demanding, customers. While bemoaning the fact supermarket buyer's criteria of quality remain colour, shape and size ('quality assurance' does not include either taste or texture) Israeli growers do admit that it is the very high environmental standards demanded by the supermarkets that is driving all Israeli agriculture down an environmentally friendly if not an actually organic route. Certainly, Israeli organic production is growing fast, even though the range of eight fruits, ten citrus fruits and 25 vegetables and herbs still only account for less than 2.5% of their total exports. The growing conditions, especially in the southern desert regions, lend themselves to organic production as the scorching heat of the summer months effectively sterilises the soil without any need for chemical intervention. Meanwhile the expertise gained over 50 years of farming, and the dedication shown by most of the farmers in inhospitable and often hostile circumstances, should stand Israeli horticulture in good stead for increased organic production in the future. Michele Berriedale-Johnson, Soil Association's Living Earth magazine issue 203 << country/story review