Agriculture in Israel

Agriculture in Israel is a highly developed industry. Israel is an exporter of fresh produce and a leader in agricultural technologies. The southern one-half of Israel is desert and irrigation is required for growing crops. The northern one-half is more conducive to rain-fed agriculture. According to the World Bank, 29.7 percent of Israel is agricultural land.^[1] The shortage of water is a constraint. In 2008, agriculture represented 2.5% of total GDP and 3.6% of exports.^[2] Israel is not self-sufficient in growing food. In 2021, Israel's agricultural imports totaled 8,791 million and agricultural exports totaled 2,445 million dollars.^[3] Grains, oilseeds, meat, coffee, cocoa, and sugar were among the imports.^[2][4]

Israel is home to two unique types of agricultural communities, the kibbutz and moshav, which developed as Jews from all over the world immigrated to the land that became the country of Israel and embarked on rural settlement.^[5] As of 2016, kibbutzim provided Israel with about 40% of its agricultural produce.^[6]