1 2 90 91 Chapter Six | Agriculture In light of local and global demand for organic produce, this branch was also developed in Gush Ka�f greenhouses. Moshav Netzer Hazani pioneered this sector, as early as 1982. Organic vegetables entered the market due to the prolifera�on of organic produce, much of which came from Gush Ka�f. Gush Ka�f farmers quickly adopted and mastered the cul�va�on methods. Gush Ka�f insect-free vegetables became a brand and a household name, par�cularly in restaurants and hotels across Israel. Gush Ka�f farmers became trailblazers in the cul�va�on of a growing variety of insect-free leafy vegetables and have even developed halachic solu�ons for the year of Shmita (the 7th year in a 7-year cycle during which land in Israel must not be cul�vated), including diverse kosher produce.8"Organic produce has extensively developed in Gush Ka�f," said Yossi Sarfa�, Coordinator of the Gush Ka�f Agricultural Commi�ee and current Chairman of the Organic Agriculture Audi�ng Commi�ee, "We were number one in quan�ty and exports."9 The beginning - the challenges, experience and learning Agriculture started in the first four strongholds: Netzarim, Kfar Darom, Ka�f and Morag. They grew vegetables, watermelons, olives, dates, citrus fruit and even turkeys. The strongholds aimed to seize land and test its agricultural poten�al. The produce was mainly used locally by the soldiers on duty in the region. With the civilianiza�on of the se�lements, in 1977, the first civilians arrived in the first se�lement - Netzer Hazani - and began the first phase of the future agriculture with the blessing of Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister at the �me.10 Each family received a 1/10 hectare glass greenhouse and grew special variety of tomatoes using the 'Edi Peretz' method, who was also an actual instructor. The idea was to grow tomatoes in greenhouses during the winter, a rare thing since tomatoes were considered a summer crop. To save space, the seedlings were �ed to the greenhouse ceiling and grew upward. Since the sand had no mineral value, they brought peat from the Hula Valley, dug it into a trench in the sand, and planted the tomatoes in these trenches. A�er a few years, Gush Ka�f farmers discovered that even without peat, the tomatoes grow beau�fully, even more so! This discovery expanded the industry, leading to the birth of Gush Ka�f's first brand - 'Tomato Growing Greenhouses.'11 Although Netzer Hazani proudly bore the �tle of 'the first se�lement,' it paid a he�y price for it—it became the guinea pig for all experiments in Gush Ka�f, especially in the agricultural field. Experiments take �me, and �me is money, and money is livelihood. Only a�er two years did the farmers receive the second 1/10 of a hectare, and because they received no budget, they had to pay for the electric system in the greenhouses from their private pockets. When they realized that the packing house in the HaBesor region did not meet their requirements and caused them financial losses, they built one for themselves, and soon, it served all the other se�lements in the area. A�er a few years, the people of the Jewish Agency already had experience, and gave each farmer 3/10 of a hectare from the first stage. All farmers learned how to correctly and efficiently irrigate sandy soil crops based on the experience of the farmers in the first se�lements. That meant watering the crops at intervals, and not all at once, as water does not absorb in the sand but trickles down and is lost. Furthermore, fer�lizers must be supplied with water, not a�er irriga�on to improve the quality of the plant.12 "They passed this crucial knowledge on, and today it is an integral part of modern agriculture," said Prof. Ben Asher, Director of the Desert Studies Ins�tute.13 The first years were packed with challenges: glass greenhouses were broken due to strong winds, and the seedlings were damaged; it was impossible to support a family with 1/10 or 2/10 of a hectare of land; there were marke�ng difficul�es; water quotas were small; there was a lack of packing houses; and various a�empts in the field ended in failure. A�er the first few years, we realized building thriving agriculture based on individual farms was impossible. A comprehensive system is needed around them - marke�ng, training, an agricultural coordinator within the council, a packing house and more," said Avraham Melamed, Director of the Southern Region of the Se�lement Division. "All of these led to the crea�on of addi�onal sources of income".14 In 1978, when Ganei Tal se�lement broke ground, they started plan�ng chrysanthemums and baby-breath flowers. Edi Peretz's tomatoes were no longer a hit due to European markets' demand for fruit with a longer shelf life. The residents fought and tried to convince the officials at the Ministry of Agriculture to give them a third 1/10 of a hectare so that they could increase their income by growing a wider selec�on of crops. When they won, all Gush Ka�f farmers at the �me benefited from it. The greenhouses on the third 1/10 of a hectare were already built from plas�c sheets and not from glass. We implemented a drip irriga�on system to introduce water slowly, in a manner adapted to sandy soil. A short �me later, the farmers received surprising endorsement for the innova�ons they had introduced - the quality of the seedlings increased drama�cally.15 The flowering period - the first decade The years 5736-5747 (1976-1987), the first decade of civilian se�lement in the Gaza Strip, was also the heyday of Gush Ka�f. From one civilian se�lement - Netzer-Hazani - to 14 civilian se�lements with a popula�on of 3,500. Following the evacua�on of the Yamit region, the region's vision underwent a drama�c transforma�on. From three small religious se�lements, Gush Ka�f quickly absorbed evacuees from Sinai: Atzmona, the Hesder yeshiva, and Elei Sinai. Later, more se�lements were established, most of which were based on agriculture. As a result, the industry grew, both quan�ta�vely and qualita�vely, and in 1987 agricultural export from Gaza Strip se�lements totalled USD 13 million.16 The small 'mom-and-pop' business whose land slowly expanded, became bigger, more professional, computerized and also more profitable. The variety of crops grew exponen�ally, and addi�onal a�empts were made to acclimate new crops to the region. Agriculture in Gush Ka�f became the main livelihood of the moshavim (rural villages). About 400 Gush Ka�f residents engaged in agriculture, meaning about 22% of families made a living from the industry.17 The most advanced and original agricultural methods in Israel, with high-quality brands, were developed in the sands of Gush Ka�f. Among them were growing on detached substrates and trellising cul�va�on of vegetables and flowers, which found their way to reputed markets worldwide. By the 1990s, about 10% of Israel's agricultural produce came from Gush Ka�f. 65% of Israel's organic greenhouse exported vegetables, 65% of Israel's geranium flowers export, and 90% of Israel's insect-free leafy greens were grown in Gush Ka�f greenhouses. In 1992-3, 85% of Israel's winter vegetable exports originated from Gush Ka�f. In 2004, the annual domes�c revenue reached a whopping NIS 132 million, and the yearly export reached USD 20 million. In 2005, the year of Gush Ka�f's uproo�ng, about 240 farmers operated approximately 380 farms, employing ~3,000 workers. They exported thousands of tons of agricultural produce grown in about 440 hectares of greenhouses and open fields. The processed produce included in a wide variety of crops: insect-free leafy greens, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, organic vegetables, spices, house and garden plants, flowers, fruits, planta�ons and farm animals.18 Organic farming Organic farming cul�vates plants while considering the environment, sustainability and soil conserva�on. Organic agriculture is strongly commi�ed to environmental protec�on, improving the air and water resources, and be�ering the soil and its produc�vity while avoiding the use of prohibited chemicals and synthe�c materials. No conven�onal pes�cides and fer�lizers are used; hence, maximum care and supervision are required at all stages of produce handling, processing and transporta�on.19 In light of local and global demand for organic produce, this branch was also developed in Gush Ka�f greenhouses. Moshav Netzer Hazani pioneered this field and began growing organic produce as early as 1982 as part of its search for crops suitable for the local condi�ons. Over the years, many farmers have adopted and mastered the appropriate cul�va�on methods. Thanks to the quality, reliability, punctuality and abiding with the rules, Gush Ka�f organic agriculture earned respect and reputa�on. The organic export included: red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, long pepper (Palermo), tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, beans and strawberries. 20 1 Tomato greenhouse 2 Quality peppers for export
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