'Israel is advanced in research related to aquaculture and has the capacity to create adequate innovation'

Ahead of a groundbreaking international conference organized by Israel’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry on Marine Aquaculture and Food Technology, i24NEWS had the honor of visiting companies leading in innovation.

Specializing in marine and desert agriculture, the companies have developed solutions to alleviate global food insecurity at a time when certain animal species are threatened with extinction.

Given the rate of population growth, global warming, climate change, rising sea levels, and diminishing fertile areas for agricultural crops, a significant part of the future’s food must come from the sea and the desert.

With this in mind, the conference – to be held in the southern Israeli resort town of Eilat from October 18 to 20 – will bring together agriculture ministers scientists, and major entrepreneurs from Israel, Bahrain, Malta, Morocco, and Jordan.

"We are all aware of the problem of food insecurity and that is why we are trying to provide more protein in our diets,” Michal Levy, scientist and senior deputy director general of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry, told i24NEWS.

“Climate change and its influence on agriculture and new forms of food are subjects that we must be concerned about today. We know that Israel is very advanced in research related to aquaculture, and has the capacity to create fish and develop adequate innovations,” she said.

The current government is emphasizing programs for students focusing on aquaculture in the Eilat region, which has many advantages in terms of seaweed and fish farming. Additionally, it is encouraging the creation of infrastructure in order to improve the ecosystem of Eilat as well as the rest of Israel to then export such knowledge abroad.

At the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Rehovot of central Israel, the team of Dr. Lior David – an expert in animal sciences – is carrying out advanced studies in fish production to increase sustainability. 

In fish, David is studying the genetics of resistance to infectious diseases and sex determination. Knowledge from their basic research is then used to select genetically improved strains of fish to solve problems that hinder fish farming.

"We want to control the male-female ratio by producing more females to produce more births, through hormone injection methods,” David explained.

“Aquaculture has become the main source of protein production from fish, but the appearance of diseases 20 years ago, in Europe and Israel, which now affect the whole world, complicates the process.”

At the Faculty, researchers are particularly working to develop a vaccine that could be injected into fish to reduce the spread of disease. They also inject specific genes into fish eggs to control reproduction and increase the quantity of fish, as well as for “cultured fish meat” – which makes it possible to create real meat by growing animal cells directly from fish.

i24NEWS traveled to the village of Tel Mond near Netanya in central Israel where Simpliigood is located, the first company in the world to exploit a large-scale biomass production technology of spirulina, algae with high nutritional quality.

Through a multidisciplinary approach involving biology, engineering, chemistry, and computer science, Simpliigood is creating the most efficient natural food source on earth – Spirulina, one of the most nutritional and plant-based sources of protein on the planet.

About 74 percent of Simpliigood’s spirulina is made from crude protein, which provides 18 of the 20 amino acids needed for the body to function properly. It contains three times more protein than meat and helps fight anemia. 

"Our company started about ten years ago with the aim of taking spirulina from a luxurious dietary supplement to a staple in our diet; then we started to market it,” Bach Baruch CTO at Simpliigood, told i24NEWS.

“We are trying to produce yogurts, cheese, ice cream, fish, and even meat from spirulina thanks to solar energy, salt, and water essential to cultivate it.”

Spirulina can also replace gluten, create textures, or serve as an emulsifier, but its main purpose is to make diets healthier and richer. 

"We harvest fresh spirulina with natural methods without antibiotics or hormones. We can also add flavor and customize colors to make it look like the real thing,” Bach said.

“At Simpliigood, it is grown in two micro-farms with state-of-the-art technology in 50-degree freshwater ponds to maintain an ideal growth environment.”

The company offers a sustainable, affordable, and clean, minimally-processed food alternative with immense value.

Vertical greenhouses: Growing out of season

Producing strawberries in winter? This is one of the missions given to the startup Vertical Field, created in 2006 near the central Israeli city of Raanana. 

Using state-of-the-art technology, it meets the needs of the growing population by growing produce in any indoor or outdoor urban space. 

The company designed integrated vertical platforms and quickly achieved international success with more than 500 projects worldwide. “We are the future in agriculture because we can grow produce out of season,” said Gilad Marek, chief agronomist at Vertical Field.

They thus circumvent the disadvantages linked to the climate without entering into competition with farmers. On the contrary, Marek assured that "they work together."

"We use 90 percent water, no pesticides or chemicals, to grow herbs such as basil, lettuce, mint, parsley, coriander, and eventually we hope to produce strawberries, mushrooms, or even cherry tomatoes,” Ronen Redel, VP of Business Development at Vertical Field, told i24NEWS.

"We wanted to set up a method that is as close as possible to nature. This technology has several advantages, based on air control, irrigation, and lighting that allow plants to be given the conditions and nutrients they need to grow in 21 days.”

Farmers can also supply themselves daily from the container.

Vertical Field developed pilot projects in Australia, Vienna, and the United States, as well as in Ukraine and Russia before the war broke out.

"We can also play with day and night lighting to promote growth, and easily monitor the development of each of the plants. By isolating them from the environment, the plants are thus protected from the parasites and dust responsible for their deterioration,” Marek emphasized.

Will Israel's sustainability know-how succeed on the world stage?