STORY OF AN ENTREPRENEUR: AMARYLLIS FLOWERS

Nearly 28% of the residents of the Beit Shean Valley Regional Council work in agriculture, as opposed to approximately 2% of Israel's general population. These farmers work-but they don't always make a living. In the 21st century, traditional agriculture does not represent a sure source of income. In order to succeed, farmers often must cultivate growth programs for unique crops and use new technologies not often found in the agricultural sector.

Carmela and Aryeh Yitzchak from Tel Te'omim analyzed the situation and after much hard work, have built a remarkable farm. On the job as an agricultural consultant, Aryeh learned about the amaryllis flower-very large, bell-shaped flowers that are in great demand abroad during the Christmas season. This area of farming demands great expertise. For that reason, only ten Israeli growers supply 6% of the global demand for the amaryllis, about 30 million bulbs annually. Aryeh has used technology extensively in his amaryllis greenhouse, and by doing so, he has given himself a significant edge over his competitors.

It should be noted that MATI Beit Shean assisted Aryeh throughout the period in which he set up and developed his amaryllis farm. Up to now, we have assisted Aryeh in two efforts to mobilize capital so that he could construct the greenhouses. In both instances, the Jewish Agency helped him out with funding from their special settler's budget funds. The first business plan was written up in 1999, and with the capital raised he constructed 3,000 sq. meters of greenhouses for the cultivation of amaryllis bulbs for export, in addition to the existing 1,500 sq. meters.

The greenhouses were equipped with very advanced technological systems. All the flowers are grown in detached, aboveground bedding, underneath which a drainage system removes excess water. The excess water flows to a collection point, where it is filtered and recycled for reuse. Irrigation and fertilizer controls, as well as humidity and temperature controls in the greenhouse, are automatically computer-monitored. The roof of the greenhouse is a dual-purpose thermal sheet, which is controlled by a UV radiation meter and temperature and humidity sensors, inside and outside the structure. Temperature stability is also achieved through an extensive fogging system, which helps balance the humidity. Aryeh sums up the entire approach: "The computer asks the plant 'How are you?' every ten minutes, and depending on the answer, it makes decisions about the breeding regimen and work in the greenhouse."

Recently we were successful in getting Aryeh and Carmela more funding, also from the Jewish Agency, in order to improve their growing cycle even more, including the mechanization of the extraction and packing processes of the bulbs, as well as developing ways to grow material that allows the flowers to multiply independently, instead of having to buy it from other growers, as they've done until now.

There's no doubt that agriculture could be revitalized if and when we learn how to harness technology to further improve results in various crops. Carmela and Aryeh Yitzchak are examples that this is possible. Recently, their amaryllis greenhouse has become a sort of tourist site, and we at MATI Beit Shean are planning on helping Aryeh design his farm to accommodate agro-tourism, a trend that will expand in the coming years and also contribute to the rejuvenation of agriculture.

Adar Bet 5763 - March 2003