A unique project of the Peres Center for Peace, in collaboration with researchers from Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, yields new solutions for the red palm weevil, a parasite that damages date trees in the Middle East
Press release on behalf of the Peres Center
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The international project which aims to find new ways to eradicate the red palm weevil, which causes enormous damage to dates in the Middle East, is coming to a successful end these days. As part of the project, an innovative technique was developed for locating the parasite in trees, using dogs that smell the parasite.
The Andreas Foundation, which coordinates agricultural activities within the Peres Peace Center, has for the past six years, with the assistance of one of the world's largest biotechnology companies, "Novartis", a huge regional project in the field of agricultural development, which is currently coming to a successful conclusion. The project is designed to deal with the red palm weevil, a parasite that threatens the cultivation of dates throughout the Middle East. As part of the project, which was conducted mainly in Israel and Egypt, researchers from Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority collaborated. The date tree is of central importance in the Middle East as a provider of food, shade, textiles and as a factor of religious, family and social significance.
The plan included the formulation of a regional strategy to deal with the problem, the development of modern technology, the development of human resources and the distribution of materials and information to the public of farmers dealing with the parasite, in Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.
The research and the opening were done through a unique combination of forces of the Middle Eastern countries. The Israeli and Arab experts who took part in the process emphasized the importance of the project and cooperation as part of the strengthening of the Middle East and saw it as an essential step towards peace in the region.
Today, the Peres Peace Center is proud of the fact that the research results will lead to collaborations with large food chains in European and Middle Eastern countries. In this way, the project will generate economic profits that will belong to farmers in all the countries of the Middle East.
As part of the project, field laboratories were established, the main one in Egypt and others in Jordan and Jericho, dealing with locating the parasite. Advanced and unique equipment was installed in the laboratories, which helps in diagnosing dates infected with the parasite and in eradicating the parasite. The integrated pesticide interface (IPM) makes it possible to minimize the use of pesticides, which are used against the parasite. In Israel, the research was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Volcanic Institute and the Palm Farmers' Organization.
After the definition of modern parasite diagnosis and treatment techniques from the research, a professionalization and learning process was conducted among professionals in Jordan, Egypt and Israel, through professional workshops held in these countries. In addition, a joint professional film was produced, in English, Hebrew and Arabic, explaining the danger of the parasite and ways to deal with it, and professional materials were written, which were distributed to researchers around the world.
One of the most interesting developments achieved within the project is an innovative method for locating the parasite using dogs, which undergo special training to smell the parasite and then locate the virus by sniffing the wood. In addition, a new method was developed to identify the parasite through the unique use of sound waves. Following the achievement of the project's goals, it was decided at the Peres Peace Center that it would be successfully completed.
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