“We are all looking for sustainable ways to produce food and to find new protein sources, and in Israel, there is a lot of innovation and research,” says Michal Levi, chief scientist and senior deputy director general of Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Already active in alternative protein startups, Israel is now seeking to be a significant player in the new “blue tech” space.
The Israeli government will invest NIS 170 million ($7.6 million) over the next five years into education and infrastructure to make Eilat — and the greater region, called Eilot — a national and international center for producing food from the sea and the desert. “We will bring in researchers and students, and we’ll promote areas where blue-tech startups can set up, do pilots, and test their technologies,” says Levi.
Colors Farm on Moshav Hazeva is one established company accomplishing that goal in a variety of innovative ways since 1999.
For the past seven years, Colors Farm has run a closed circular aquaponics system to raise ornamental fish alongside greens, such as lettuce and basil, all year round, using recirculated water without fertilizer or pesticides.
Read the complete article at www.israel21c.org.