“Nothing can grow here,” he said. In fact, it’s what they all said.At first glance, the geography of Israel doesn’t look like it would lend itself naturally to growing things. More than half of the land is desert, and the climate and lack of water resources do not favor farming.
So how could it be that Israel makes not only amazing wine, but is a major exporter of fresh produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies?!
For the last century, the people of Israel have worked hard to restore the land. They cleared rocky fields, constructed terraces for farming, drained swampland, reforested certain areas, and took steps to counteract soil erosion. They even washed salty land to make it more productive!
The end result is over doubling of the land now under cultivation and an incredible variety of crops produced—from wheat and corn to a wide variety of vegetables. In fact, Israel is one of the world’s leading citrus producers and exporters AND the inventor of the cherry tomato!