MASHAV ACTIVITY IN THE ARAB WORLD

March-April 1998

(MASHAV is the Hebrew acronym for the Center for International Cooperation in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

1. EGYPT

(A) Training in Agriculture.

In this period, 60 Egyptian trainees arrived in Israel for courses and there was also one field course.

Under the trilateral agreement on agriculture (Denmark, Israel, Egypt) a study tour was conducted in Egypt for the first time (in March) for Israeli experts instructing trainees there, in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture.

At the end of March, a mission from the Egyptian National Library of Agriculture visited Israel as guests of Mashav, to familiarize itself with the latest technologies and study possibilities of joining agricultural libraries in Israel.

(B) Projects.

The "Block 20" region:

This is a project which will focus on developing about 20 family farms in the Nuberia district, serving as models of farms linked to support and marketing systems. The project will be managed by a long-term Mashav expert.

Nuberia:

Developing water resources. Mashav responded to the request of the Counsellor of Egypt's Minister of Agriculture to aid in dispatching a hydrologist to examine water resources and their qulity in an area of 12,000 "fidans" in the Nuberia region. These are plots of land owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and meant to be sold to people in the business sector.

Setting up model plots at the training center in Maryut: A professional proposal has been prepared and confirmed by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture to establish an irrigation system in the area. The preparations for setting it up are approaching completion.

An agricultural farm at Nubaseid: Mashav will complete the acquisition of Israeli equipemtn to the value of $120,000 to construct the nursery. A nursery expert will be dispatched to the area in May to continue the operation.

2. JORDAN

(A) Training:

Since the beginning of the year, 50 trainees have come to Israel from Jordan.

At the beginning of March, 13 military doctors arrived from the King Hussein Hospital and the Queen Aliya Hospital, for an international congress on emergency medicine. The mission came as the guests of the Israeli Foreign Ministry (Mashav and the Jordanian Affairs Division) and of the Israeli Defense Forces.

(B) Projects:

Establishing the joint commercial farm project in the Jordan River Valley: it was decided to advance the next stage, preparing about 250 dunams (or about 60 acres) in the Fifa area through advanced agricultural technology. Both sides confirmed the implementation of preparing a development plan to be financed by Mashav. At the end of April, Israeli and Jordanian experts went to the area to conduct a ground survey.

3. THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

(A) Training:

Since the start of this year, about 250 Palestinians have attended Mashav courses in Israel, in cooperation with Ben-Gurion University, the Palestinian Child and Family Counselling Center, and the Palestinian Child Heath Community Research Center, as well as the Fund for Economic Cooperation. A plan was drafted to train Palestinian experts in the field of "the war against drugs."

4. MOROCCO

(A) Training.

Since the beginning of 1998, three Moroccan trainees participated in Mashav courses in Israel on agriculture and cooperation.

(B) Projects.

A cooperative-rehabilitation-agricultural farm in Morocco: The Moroccan non-governmental organizations "Bitti". It enjoys the support of the Royal Family and various government ministries: It requested our aid in setting up the farm, meant for distressed youth, neeting rehabilitation, in the Casablanca and Makhnes districts.

The chairman of the organization visited Israel in mid-April as the guest of Mashav. She visited similar institutions in Israel and plans were draft to continue the cooperation.

5. REGIONAL ACTIVITIES

The regional plan for agricultural cooperation: Denmark, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority : under this program, two meetings of experts were held

(A) Between March 16 and 19, there was a meeting of "Women in Agriculture" held in Ramallah.
(B) A meeting of the Technical Committee (March 22-24) on "Dealing with Produce and Marketing" was held in Amman.

As part of the activity of the Netherlands-Israel Research Program, set up in 1992 under an agreement between the two governments, a meeting was held toward the end of April with research personnel in Amman, in order to advance joint research activity.

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