Two Nahal (para-military settlements in the Jordan Valley will go civilian next month, further strengthening the Jewish presence in that region. Israel Keren, deputy director of the Jerusalem region of the World Zionist Organization’s settlement department told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that plans call for the intensive cultivation of a variety of crops intended mainly for the European export market.
The settlements are Nahal Naaran and Mitzpe Shalem. They are located in an area that grows melons, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and corn. The mild weather in the Jordan Valley allows these crops to ripen early and they can be shipped to Western Europe before similar crops from other countries hit the market, Keren said.
The Jordan Valley is not entirely dependent on agriculture. The settlement department is also working on plans for tourism projects and perhaps even some form of light industry, especially for the summer months when agriculture and tourism are weak.
As far as agriculture is concerned, one of the main problems in the area is water. In the Fatzael region, north of Jericho, a water demand of seven million cubic meters is forecast but a supply of only six million cubic meters is presently available.
One possible solution is to draw sweet water from the Jordan River by means of two pumping stations already operating. Another solution is to develop new methods of growing vegetables in water of higher salt concentration than usual.
A PILOT PROJECT
The settlement department, in conjunction with the Volcanic Institute of Agricultural Research in Rehovot has tried to raise fish in salt water in the Feshha Springs near the Dead Sea. Tilapia fish are grown in what is professionally known as “marginal water,” at a temperature that never goes below seven degrees centigrade. This allows for quantities of fish already in the spring. Similar experiments are being conducted to grow fodder for cows and vegetables.
This is a pilot project, but Yeshayahu Nun, an agricultural planner at the department, says that in some respects commercial quantities can be expected. There is no doubt on the part of the researchers that the more severe the water shortage in Israel becomes, the more effort will have to be invested in the exploitation of salt water.
The most recent innovation is the experimental watering of palm trees with salt water containing 2000 milligrams of chlorine instead of the maximum of 400 milligrams in drinking water. At an initial stage 20 such trees will be irrigated with salt water. The trees are expected to grow without difficulties. But it is not known yet whether the yield will prove worthwhile.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
