Israel, China should cooperate on food security

One of Israel's agriculture research centers has discovered how to grow trees in the desert, helping to reduce humanity's carbon footprint. The Kaiima company has increased yields in every vegetable or crop it has tested by large percentages by genetically improving seeds and the Israeli agro-biotechnology company, Rosetta Green, has developed a new technology to develop plants that are better able to withstand prolonged periods of severe drought. The company aims to develop new plant varieties resistant to harsh climatic condition, maintaining an increased yield. The list of innovations goes on and on.

In many cases, Israel and China are already working together to expand innovation in these fields. For example, Evogene, a world leader in plant genomics underlying crop productivity for the food, feed and biofuel industries, and Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group, a Chinese biotechnology company, collaborate on improving productivity by increasing fertilizer uptake and drought tolerance in rice.

One company that has attracted the interest of Chinese business leaders and government officials is the Trendlines Group, one of Israel's leading high-tech business incubators and seed-stage investment groups. Mostly through its two Israeli government-licensed venture accelerators, The Trendlines Group invests in early-stage, high-promise companies while mitigating early-stage investment risk. This group of entrepreneurs and inventors establish and nurture innovation-based businesses in agricultural (and other) technology. Many of its start-up companies have won international prizes in innovation.

The Trendlines Group has a number of innovative projects in its agricultural technology accelerator. MiRobot is developing next-generation robotic milking systems for cost-effective, high-performance automatic milking in dairy farms, allowing farmers to milk dozens of cows simultaneously with only one supervisor (as opposed to the current situation that requires up to six operators). Captive Bred, another Trendlines start-up, has developed a reliable, proven process for breeding fish in captivity at competitive prices to meet the growing demand as the natural supply declines. Helping farmers deal with pests, the start-up EdenShield is working on an odor-masking product that tricks pests into believing your crops simply aren't there.

With over 200 R&D centers focusing on agriculture, Israel offers a unique agri-technological eco-system that provides solutions for the world's food, water, and energy challenges. China offers a unique opportunity for the two countries to work together to feed the world.