Strength of Arab-Israeli Cooperation
With the improvement of the political climate in the Middle East, previously unthinkable cooperative endeavors have become possible. Israel has always had special relations with Morocco. Seven hundred thousand former Moroccans reside in Israel. As will be his legacy, King Hassan had a pioneering role in the peace process.

Seed Exchange

Through project M-20-018, Moroccan and Israeli cooperation can be extended into a scientific and professional realm, specifically in agricultural development. This project is designed with a special emphasis on producing long-term scientific contacts.

Israeli Researchers Visit 2 Moroccan Land Reclamation Projects

The project builds these contacts through annual visits, tours of the countries respective extension systems, and meetings between the investigators and their students. A primary goal is to incorporate the farmers and practitioners in the introduction areas through this web of regional and national contacts.

Moroccan Land Reclamation Project

Israel's success in growing exotic crops under arid conditions and introducing them to the European market will be valuable to Moroccan agronomists. At the same time, Israeli scientists will be introduced to what many consider the finest extension system in the Arab world. They will have the opportunity to meet with Moroccan researchers who have successfully made the desert bloom in the arid zones of Morocco. This previously untapped well of experience can breathe new life into the culture and development of venerable crops that are underutilized in Israel.



International students

Ultimately, the strength of the Arab-Israeli cooperation lies in the ability to turn past uncertainties into substantive benefits. Because of their similar climates, Israel and Morocco are facing comparable challenges to their agricultural and economic futures. The contrasting genotypes, grown on the two separate continents, have the potential to mutually enhance biodiversity through cooperative crop development.

This cooperation may reach beyond the borders of the participating countries. The Southern Arava Field Research and Development Extension Center in Israel recently began a technical assistance program with the Bedouin village of Rahme in southern Jordan. This innovative program trains Jordanian farmers in modern methods of crop production and experimentation, and assists in farming start-ups in the Jordanian Arava. Many of the crops developed by Dr.Solowey are candidates for introduction in Jordan under the auspices of this project. It is possible that successful introductions from Morocco in a MERC supported experiment would quickly find their way to Jordanian and Palestinian farmers working under arid conditions.

International students

Relevance to the Peace Process

The present proposal is uniquely relevant to the Middle East peace process in many ways. First, most of the scientific cooperative projects between Israel and its neighbors do not involve symmetrical contributions from the partner institutions to fuel sustainable development. A project between equals is more likely to succeed in a politically tense atmosphere than one where one side gives and the other side is expected to receive without control or input. Secondly, work with such a broad range of crop candidates is an unprecedented initiative which will hopefully lead to other initiatives between Israel and the Arab nations. Thirdly, this initiative promotes a new kind of sustainable agriculture and development in the very areas that have been left out of the modern agricultural revolution. Certainly, the centuries old poverty and poor prospects in the arid zones contribute to the underlying instability of the region. An easing of the situation may help make peace possible in the long run.

The project will help promote peace between the two partners through the frequent visits that it will offer to researchers, extension agents and graduate students. Also, dissemination of the new crops at the farm level will cause the people involved to see the benefits of such a collaboration. Furthermore, the "human ties" formed during the cooperative venture of such projects are most meaningful when they are based on true long-term national interests. A solid base for future cooperation between Israel and Morocco can be encouraged through the development of a safe and steady food supply, increased rural employment opportunities, and the potential for export-oriented economic growth from new crop products. The potential for commercial agricultural enterprises to arise from this initiative, suggests that the Moroccan and Israeli partnership may last long into the future.