Last week, over the course of two days, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 January, close to 40,000 people attended the Arava Open Day exhibition, the largest agricultural exhibition in Israel. The exhibition took place in the Arava valley, a desert region located in the southeastern part of the country, and its purpose was to put Israeli agriculture on full display. 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the Arava Open Day, and by all measures it was the largest and best attended year yet.
Over 200 companies, both Israeli and international, participated in the event and presented their products and services. The exhibits included booths and stands where visitors could interact with representatives of the participating companies, as well as demonstrations and activities put on by participants.
The event drew a varied crowd of visitors, with some 50 countries represented. While most came with business purposes, visitors also hail the opportunity to meet people of various sectors and get exposed to new ideas and recent developments.
Innovation is a key characteristic of the agriculture sector in Israel, and this was clearly evident at the exhibition. One could find innovative developments of all kinds: new and improved fruit and vegetable varieties, innovative growing methods, irrigation and climate control solutions, insurance products, marketing initiatives, and many more.
The area of innovation which garnered the most attention was the open greenhouses displaying new fruit and vegetable varieties and growing methods. Visitors were able to walk through active greenhouses and take guided tours with the growers; some of the highlights were early-ripening strawberries grown in hydroponics, watermelons grown on trellis, a greenhouse peach orchard, and more.
Overall, the continued success of the Arava Open Day has made it into a key date for all involved in agriculture in Israel, as well as interested people from around the world. The exhibition is scheduled to be staged in the same location and at the same time of the year again next year.