We look forward to seeing you on July 14th, for the workshop on “Israel, Food Security and the Developing World – Fulfilling the Technological Potential” to be held at Tel Aviv University on July 14th 2015.

The workshop will seek to highlight exciting work already taking place and open new opportunities for:

1. Researchers, students who want to get involved in applied field research on sustainable development.

2. Implementers (companies, government, NGOs) who want to benefit your work through applied research.

The workshop will take place from 13:30 to 17:30 and will consist of five sessions. Each session will include 1-2 short (10 minute) presentations of groundbreaking work which will be followed by a discussion and an opportunity for implementers of other related projects to mention their own work. Confirmed speakers include professors and students from Tel Aviv, The Hebrew and Ben Gurion universities, as well as from the Israeli government and some exceptional NGOs and private companies working in the field in developing countries. We will keep ample time for discussion in order to make the event inclusive.

The workshop will take place in room 527, Naftali Building (Social Sciences), Tel Aviv University.

Preliminary Program:

Introduction (13:30-13:45)

Session 1: Nutrition (13:45 – 14:15)
What are the long-term impacts of nutritional deficiency?
Can novel data based approaches help target the hungry in the developing world?

Session 2: Use of Agrochemical and Biological Inputs (14:15-15:00)
Why is the use of fertilizers and pesticides by smallholder farmers so often unbalanced?
Can supply chains be improved? Can targeted information help? The session will feature new evidence from the field in India.

Coffee Break (15:00-15:10)

Session 3: Irrigation and the Challenge of Small Scale (15:15-15:45)
Irrigation is critical for agricultural growth in the semi arid tropics. How can distributed irrigation systems be implemented on small scales in an economically scalable way? Innovative Israeli-led initiatives will be discussed.

Session 4: ICT and New Approaches to Extension (15:45-16:30)
The transfer of knowledge to smallholder farmers remains a persistent challenge.
Can new approaches including information and communication technology transform traditional extension?

Concluding Session: Networking and Facilitating New Partnerships Between Research and Practice (16:30-17:30)
Practical steps to enable new partnerships between Israeli academia, government, private firms and NGOs on overcoming challenges to the use of modern technologies by smallholders.