My Arava Story: A Kenyan agriculture student's 'extraordinary' new life

We're taking time to focus on the beauty of the Arava, Israel's southern desert. Residents of the Central Arava face many challenges, including the harsh climate, large distance between communities, and lack of accessibility to resources available in urban centers. JNF has partnered with the Central Arava Regional Council as part of our Blueprint Negev campaign to make the Negev habitable to the next generation of Israel's residents. 

Here, a personal narrative from a Kenyan student at the Arava International Center for Agriculture and Training (AICAT). He details the surprises and pleasures of his new life in Israel's south.

By Kenneth Kiplang'at Chepkwony

I recently graduated from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, and I'm currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma at the Arava International Center for Agriculture and Training. I came to Israel in August 2016 as one of the beneficiaries of an internship program that has seen the admission of 100 Kenyan students at AICAT. The objective is to expose individuals like me to the sophisticated agricultural technologies attached to the Arava. I hail from an agricultural family that relies solely on natural rainfall. Sadly, such traditional approaches have hindered local communities from growing food sufficiently. This inspired me to apply to AICAT. I have a deep desire to apply the knowledge I will amass in the Arava to influence my country folk positively.

Dispatch from the front lines of the devastating Israel floods

The Arava Search and Rescue Team on the ground.

The Jewish National Fund Arava Task Force spent the past week in Israel, and their time there happened to coincide with the devastating storms in the area. Below Task Force chair Rebecca Fischer shares her impressions of being there during this trying time. To help with rescue efforts sorely needed in the area, please visit here.  

By Rebecca Fischer, Jewish National Fund Arava Task Force chair

I just returned from Israel. This was my 17th trip to Israel and I believe my 10th time in the Arava. This trip was unparalleled. We had an incredible time in the Hevel Eilot Region Sunday through Tuesday and the Central Arava Tuesday through Thursday, where we saw the fruits of our time and money literally rising from the desert.  

We met as a Task Force to review the projects proposed to us by both regions on Wednesday afternoon at Nof Zuqim, and to decide which projects we want to recommend to Jewish National Fund for support. However, we soon found ourselves trapped in the dining hall as a result of the sand and rain storms brewing outside, the likes of which none of us had ever witnessed. 

The magic that is life in the Arava desert: One family's story

Tania with her husband and son. 

Residents of the Central Arava face many challenges, including the harsh desert climate, the large distance between communities, and the lack of accessibility to resources available in urban centers. JNF has partnered with the Central Arava Regional Council as part of our Blueprint Negev campaign to make the Negev habitable to the next generation of Israel's residents.

Here, a personal story from Tania Pons-Allon, who works for the Central Arava Regional Council. The council's jurisdiction covers more than 370,000 acres -- approximately 6 percent of Israel’s total land mass -- but is inhabited by just 3,300 people scattered throughout seven communities. 

By Tania Pons-Allon

It was summer, and we packed our small Tel Aviv apartment into a moving van and drove south. I was caressing a nine-month-pregnant belly as my husband drove fast in atypical speed for route No. 6, while sirens went off on the radio every couple of songs. The decision was clear to us both. After 10 years in the center of Israel, we were returning home. We are both Arava natives, and we always knew we wanted our children to grow up like we did: with a sense of freedom, tranquility, and simplicity.

My Arava Story: Myanmar farmer finds career, and love, in the desert

Htawshae Lum Hkawng in his element. He credits his time studying at AICAT in Israel with giving him 
the tools for farming success. 

We're taking time to focus on stories from the beautiful Arava, Israel's southern desert. Residents of the Central Arava face many challenges, including the harsh climate, large distance between communities, and lack of accessibility to resources available in urban centers. JNF has partnered with the Central Arava Regional Council as part of our Blueprint Negev campaign to make the Negev habitable to the next generation of Israel's residents. 

By Htawshae Lum Hkawng

I am from Myanmar. From 2011-2012 I came to Israel and studied in the agriculture diploma program at AICAT (Arava International Center for Agriculture Training). It was a truly amazing experience. I learned how to farm from square one: planting, pruning, feeding, sterilizing, irrigating, and cleaning until harvesting; packaging, cleaning, and maintaining the farm under the greenhouses and net houses. The program's model of combining classroom theory with practical work on the farm has given me the tools I need to go on and become a successful farmer.

On JLIM leadership mission, getting emotional in the Arava desert

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Starrett

JNFuture Arizona board members (from left) Penelope Karp Abad, Andy Becker, Talyah Sands, Jennifer Starrett, and Stephanie Kelman visit Alexander Muss High School in Israel during the JLIM. 

JNFuture Arizona board members are currently in Israel on the Jewish National Fund Leadership Mission in Israel (JLIM), and are sharing their impressions on the blog for the Jewish News, a weekly newspaper serving Greater Phoenix and Northern Arizona. Here, one participant shares some thoughts from the fourth day.

By Stephanie Kelman

I had the understanding after 10 years of involvement in JNF that the Arava was an important project that revolved around agriculture innovation. I had no idea that the Arava desert itself was an example of Zionist pioneering to the greatest extent. About 4,000 pioneers have established themselves in one of the most extreme and difficult environments in the world to show our Jordanian neighbors that we are here and flourishing.

Our JNFuture group was fortunate to learn about the Arava from Noa Zer, resource development director of the Central Arava Regional Council. While I was impressed by the agriculture innovation and spirit of the residents, the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT) school astounded me and I was overwhelmed with passion and a true sense of connectivity that I had not yet experienced with a specific JNF project.

Rabbi brings potent religious-diversity encounter back to the Arava desert

Representatives of diverse faiths attend the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs' conference.  

By Rabbi Michael Cohen

Founding faculty member, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

On a sunny August desert morning, I found myself invited by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs to talk about the Arava Institute's research in solar energy at a conference of "Ancient Traditions Contemporary Realities: A Meeting of Israel-Asia Faith Leaders" in Jerusalem.

There were leaders from the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Shinto, and Taoist religions, as well as a number of rabbis and Jewish scholars. It was a fascinating three-day encounter between Judaism and religions one does not often find itself in contact, much less dialogue, with. And that was exactly the reason the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened this gathering. 

Central Arava Pillar of solidarity

Dear Friends,

It is in difficult times that we remember that the strength of our people comes from the unbreakable bond and brotherhood amongst all Israelis and between the people of Israel and the Jewish communities in in the Diaspora.

It is in times like these that we acknowledge the true meaning of partnership and friendship and witness the realization of " All Jews are responsible for one another".

Sadly, in the present days, living in the most peripheral area in Israel has some advantages.. Being relatively far from the fire zone, it is our community's duty to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the fire zone all around the south and offer our help.

The Central Arava community has began, with the generous help of JNF and the Jewish Agency to reach out and call upon families to come and stay in the Arava.

As of last week many families from the fire zone have arrived at the Arava and were adopted by the local families from the entire Central Arava community and many more families are arriving at the Arava every day.

This week we will be hosting more than 180 children for several days, offering them some time out from the stressful routine of their lives in the past 10 days.

The Central Arava children, led by the the council, the Arava community center and all the youth groups and educational movements like Central Arava R&D, Lotan's way and the cadets of the Arava pre army program, have  partnered together in order to host the children and entertain them. in addition we will have the privilege of offering some 70 students from "Haogen" community boarding school for youth at risk, a day of educational and fun activities.

We want to thank you all for your support and for enabling us to help others, this is the meaning of a true partnership. when good will meets good people, good things happened.

Our thought and prayers are with the brave people in the fire zone. we pray that peace will soon descend upon us.

Regards,

Noa Zer

on behalf of the Central Arava Community

Greeting from the Central Arava!!!

Russell Robinson

CEO, Jewish National Fund

Shalom Russell, 

It is with a great sense of pride and responsibility that I accepted the honor of becoming the 7th Mayor of the Central Arava Regional Council.

As you know, the local community is comprised of only 800 families even though the area encompasses of 6% of the land of Israel.

The story of the Moshavim in the Arava symbolizes in many ways the establishment of the state of Israel - the story of an idealistic group of young people and their efforts to follow David Ben Gurion's vision of settling the Negev, their struggle with the various challenges along the way and their success, against all odds, to make the desert blossom.  Today we are proud to have a small but thriving community that persists in its mission to realize Ben Gurion's vision, despite all the obstacles.

None of this would have happened without support and your dedication towards the development of the community.  As a second generation Arava pioneer, I am strongly committed to following in the footsteps of the Arava founders, and with your partnership to lead the community towards a bright future.

It is our vision to further develop and populate the Arava while preserving its unique and wild character.  We believe that the Central Arava will attract new residents to the region, encourage entrepreneurship and creativity,  and provide the community with opportunities for sustainable living.  The Central Arava Council will strive to preserve the region's ecology and strengthen the community.  We see a great importance in the further development of innovative agriculture in desert, thus positioning Central Arava as a national and international role model.  I believe that together we will continue making a difference to people's lives, offering the founders as well as new families a real opportunity and a home in the Arava.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the Jewish National Fund for your friendship, partnership and ongoing efforts towards the development of Central Arava the place where I was born raised and proud to call my home.

Looking forward to working with you,

Your sincerely,

Eyal Blum, PhD

Mayor

My Arava Story: Israel gives Nigerian farmer tools to fight food crisis

We're focusing on stories from the beautiful Arava, Israel's southern desert. Residents of the Central Arava face many challenges, including the harsh climate, large distance between communities, and lack of accessibility to resources available in urban centers. JNF has partnered with the Central Arava Regional Council as part of our Blueprint Negev campaign to make the Negev habitable to the next generation of Israel's residents. 

Here, reflections from a pupil at the Arava International Center for Agriculture and Training (AICAT), where students from around the world learn advanced agricultural practices they then take back to their home countries.   

By Endurance P. Ojo

My interest in agriculture isn't necessarily a story of passion since childhood. Rather, it stems from my experience with my father on his farm in Nigeria and my continuous study in a quest to increase crop productivity there. Also, I look to a Science Daily article published in April 2014 featuring a statement by Professor Fred Davies (a senior adviser to the USAID at that time) on the relationship between agriculture and increasing world population. That article changed my life forever. 

In the JNF kitchen: Colorful salad featuring flavors of the Arava desert

Creating new opportunities for the next generation in the Arava

By Patricia Golan Here's a startling fact: it’s more expensive to buy an apartment in Tel Aviv today than in Manhattan. The housing situation in the rest of central Israel is not much better – overcrowded and expensive – and well beyond the means of average Israelis, especially young families. Social unrest throughout the country two years ago added further voice to argue for greater economic and housing opportunities, and shed light on the ongoing struggle the middle-class experiences to obtain a better quality of life.  The situation has been referred to as “one of Israel’s biggest political issues of all time.” So the question remains, where can young Israelis, who are contemplating the prospects for a better life, move?

The Arava desert: Land of goat milk and honey

Photo: Kayema Farm

Kayema Farm in the Central Arava desert produces more than 20 varieties of boutique French-style goat cheeses.

By Darryl Egnal 

Ran Porat is a rule breaker. When someone tells him something can’t be done, he sets out to prove the opposite.

When he decided he wanted to make honey in the desert, people laughed. When he said he wanted to breed bees in the Arava -- the driest, hottest part of the Negev -- they told him he'd never make it. He disagreed. He was young, straight out of the army, and he set out to show everyone how wrong they were. Today, the Porat Apiary is a successful family-run business with thousands of productive beehives throughout the Negev and is renowned across Israel for its unusual honey flavors.

Not far from the Porat Apiary is the Kayema Farm, a place rich with the flow of milk -- goats' milk. An unusual choice for the Arava, the decision has been enormously successful. After seven years of competing with the rest of the fruit and vegetable farmers in the Central Arava, the Ofaimme family decided to try something new and different. So they brought 20 Alpine goats to Israel and acclimatized them to the desert heat. The goats have been thriving in the area for the past seven years and their milk produces special cheeses and many flavored fruit yogurts.

Water trip through Israel gives student hope for a dry, troubled region

Photo: Anne Taillandier

At the Arava Institute in the bone-dry Arava desert, students are studying ways to optimize water resources in the Middle East.  

By Ronni Gurwicz

When I wake up most Tuesday mornings on campus here at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, I stare out the window at the beautiful mountains, and one thought immediately crosses my mind: "Damn it's dry as a bone out there." 

Now, although I have lived in the Arava desert since last September and in Israel for the past few years, there must be some part of me that pines for the rain-soaked green surroundings of the north of England, my native country. This often puts me in a bit of a dilemma. Should I be brushing my teeth in this place of acute water shortage? Or maybe I should be drinking imported Icelandic Coca-Cola to avoid using the local non-renewable groundwater? It's a fascinating subject, and one that we have started to study and research this semester in the Water Resources in the Middle East class with Clive Lipchin.

This brings me back to Tuesdays. Last week, instead of my usual staring-through-the-window tradition, I grabbed my bag and headed to the bus to join students, interns, and staff of the institute on a three-day transboundary water management trip just before International Water Day. 

Medical pair spends vacation sharing expertise in Israel's desert

 (L-R) Central Arava Resource Development Associate Samatha Levy,
 nurse Annette Vaccaro, Dr. Dana Sless, and JNF Central Arava liaison Noa Zer,
 following a lecture on early childhood development.

While many would choose to use their vacation time to go to Europe or lounge on a beach, one medical duo decided to head to Israel's desert and give back.

Dr. Dana Sless, who specializes in pediatric and adolescent health care in Atlantic City, NJ, and nurse Annette Vaccaro, based in Troy, NY, went deep in the heart of the sandy Central Arava, a region that sits between the Dead Sea and Eilat along the Jordanian border and is home to some 8,700 people. They spent a week giving lectures and seminars at Jewish National Fund's Danielle A. and Irving J. Grossman Arava Medical Center.

In the JNF Kitchen: Watermelon margaritas inspired by Israel's Arava

It's Friday, the temperatures are climbing and it's time to celebrate the watermelon season in the Arava -- with a twist! The Arava desert is a region characterized by sharp climate changes, extreme topographical conditions, scarce water, and dramatic natural beauty. It's a key focus of JNF's Blueprint Negev initiative. 

Under the acacia tree: Celebrating a rite of passage in Israel's Arava

Photo: Tamir Eytan

The bat mitzvah girl, Alexia, in the Central Arava.

By Barbara Bader

In 2013, my husband Abe and I were talking about taking our first trip to Israel. He remembered, as a child, collecting donations for Jewish National Fund, using the blue box. I did some research, called our Long Island, N.Y. branch of JNF, and thus began our relationship. During that trip, on the Spirit of Israel Mission in April 2014, we visited the usual amazing places: the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the modern city of Tel Aviv, the beautiful Galilee. As wonderful as this was, nothing pulled at our heartstrings the way our visit to the Arava region did!

In the JNF Kitchen: Cauliflower latkes from the Arava

All latked out yet? We have the perfect antidote -- cauliflower latkes from the Central Arava Regional Council. The Arava is a key focus of JNF's Blueprint Negev initiative, which aims to bring communities to Israel's south, away from the congested, highly priced center of the country.

The Central Arava is a wonderful place to visit, live, raise a family -- and run a farm! What residents in the area lack in natural resources, they make up for in ingenious agricultural solutions. All year round, the tastiest peppers, artichokes, melons, and cucumbers come out of the Central Arava.

In the JNF kitchen: Harel Zeltzer's delicious desert matfuna chicken

Traditional Matfuna chicken prepared in the desert. 

This week's #RecipeOfTheWeek features a dish from Harel Zeltzer, a business owner in the Arava. This story first appeared in the current issue of B'Yachad magazine.

Harel Zeltzer moved to the Arava over 12 years ago to work as a tour guide for one of the area’s largest guest houses. "There’s nothing like the Arava," Zeltzer said. "Over the years I've had the opportunity to introduce the beauty of the region to those who are looking to explore this unique desert."

What started as a business coordinating hiking tours and rappelling excursions quickly evolved to include jeep tours and overnight camping. Leading desert tours is still a large part of Zeltzer’s business -- he still guides large scale groups sometimes numbering hundreds of tourists -- but over the last few years he has added another aspect to his offerings for these visitors: food. 

Modern miracle #PoweredByJNF: Advanced agricultural know-how farmed to the developing world

Along the Jordanian border, in the Central Arava desert, a modern miracle is taking place. With less than one inch of annual rainfall and multiple other challenges, the Arava farmers have been able to make the impossible possible and make the desert bloom. Roughly 550 farming families of the Central Arava produce 60 percent of Israel’s fresh vegetable exports and 10 percent of its cut-flower imports. The region is a world leader in advanced desert agriculture and a prime example of effective water use. 

But the miracle isn't only benefiting Israel; it's also impacting people in developing countries. Twenty years ago the Arava farmers took it upon themselves to share their  knowledge  and experience with the world. This was the beginning of the Arava International Center for Agriculture Training, or AICAT. Today the program has changed the lives of over 8,000 graduates from Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Tibet, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, and South Sudan. 

JNF brings Israel to Cambodia

Jewish National Fund CEO, Russell Robinson, and CFO, Mitchel Rosenzweig, are on a tour of Asia and the Far East this week on behalf of the Israeli government and the Arava International Trainee Center, or AICAT. Also on the tour are Channi Arnon, director of AICAT, and Eyal Blum, mayor of the Central Arava.  

AICAT is a 20-year-old agricultural training institute in the developing town of Sapir, Israel, where students throughout Asia and the Far East are sent by their home countries to study cutting-edge and often high-tech agricultural techniques.  

Robinson has been enthusiastically reporting from the road; after the jump are some of the exciting accounts of the the group's encounters and stories from Cambodia and of how they are changing the perception of Israel in the minds of the developing world.