History
Modern agriculture developed in the late nineteenth century, when Jews began settling in the land. They purchased land which was mostly semi-arid, although much had been rendered untillable by deforestation, soil erosion and neglect. They set about clearing rocky fields, constructing terraces, draining swampland, reforesting, counteracting soil erosion, and washing salty land. Since independence in 1948, the total area under cultivation has increased from 408,000 acres (1,650 km2) to 1,070,000 acres (4,300 km2), while the number of agricultural communities has increased from 400 to 725. Agricultural production has expanded 16 times, three times more than population growth.
Water shortage is a major problem. Rain falls between September and April, with an uneven distribution across the country, from 28 inches (70 cm) in the north to less than 1 inch (2 cm) in the south. Annual renewable water resources are about 5.6 billion cubic feet (160,000,000 m3), of which 75% of which is used for agriculture. Most of Israel's freshwater sources have been consequently joined to the National Water Carrier, network of pumping stations, reservoirs, canals and pipelines which transfers water from the north to the south.
Read more about this topic: Agriculture In Israel
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