A new Israeli study examined how different methods of agriculture affect the environment and the landscape versus the benefits for the farmer. The findings show that there is a method that makes it possible to both generate economic profit and preserve nature

You can find them in salad, sandwiches and various dishes - olives and the oil extracted from them are common ingredients in Israeli cuisine. Olive vineyards are a local crop with an extensive and long-standing agricultural tradition, but with the transition to modern agriculture and the introduction of fertilizers and chemical sprays, the traditional processing methods have changed. Bstudy Israeli New The different agricultural methods for growing olives were examined, and their effects on the environment, on the landscape and the economic benefits for farmers were examined through various surveys.
The olive tree, which is mentioned quite a bit in the Bible, apparently at home in our areas And from there it spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. These trees are resistant to dry conditions, so their presence here is no accident. But the water crisis they have recently had to face due to the climate crisis affects About ability their survival. Keeping the olive trees as part of our culture and heritage is also important from the agricultural aspect, and the different growing methods in the vineyards have a great weight on the future of these areas.
organic or intensive
"We compared several agricultural interfaces in olive vineyards, and examined the effects of the way the vineyards are cultivated on the environment and the farmer," says Raz Simon, one of the authors of the study, which was done as part of her master's thesis at the Technion. Among the agricultural methods examined is the organic interface, which includes the use of pesticides that are approved for use in organic agriculture, covering the soil with vegetation and fertilizing it with compost. Another method is an intensive interface, which is actually conventional agriculture that includes tillage of the soil with heavy mechanization, spraying against weeds and against pests such as the olive fly and artificial fertilization.
Another method that has been tested is an extensive interface, based on traditional methods that were used in the Arab sector, and today combines agricultural elements such as dealing with weeds through perfuming and aerating the soil, and little use of pesticides against pests and against weeds. The last interface examined in the study is the traditional method - these are areas where ancient olive trees are planted at large intervals, without irrigation and with cattle grazing that provides fertilization and thinning of the grasses.
A distinct advantage to the organic method
In the research, which focused on the Lower Galilee, ecological surveys were conducted that showed how each of the agricultural methods has a different effect on nature and the landscape. For each method, the species of plants growing in the area and the species of birds found there were tested. According to Simon, surprisingly, the eastern sedge, a plant that is in danger of extinction, was recorded in the extensive plots - possibly because these plots are irrigated less. "In extensive agriculture there is some kind of hybrid creature - a combination of agriculture and wild land," she adds. According to her, in the organic farming method, a wide variety of flora typical of natural habitats was recorded, such as purple daisies, trefoil and common sedum - which were also observed in the traditional and extensive plots. Compared to these plots, the percentage of vegetation cover in the intensive interface was low and mainly invasive species such as curly sedge or harmful species such as the tuber weevil were observed.
According to Simon, the findings from the bird survey showed that the traditional, extensive and organic breeding methods have more birds that are suitable for natural habitats with grasses, such as black-capped thickets, pashush and Syrian woodpeckers. "On the other hand, in the intensive vineyards, ground-nesting species such as the sicak and common tern were observed, as well as invasive birds such as the common myna - the difference in the number of species and the amount of individuals between organic and conventional agriculture was a surprising finding," she says. "These findings show that organic agriculture has a much higher ecological value than intensive agriculture, both in the variety of birds and in the variety of vegetation."

In the traditional, extensive and organic breeding methods, more birds were found that are suitable for natural herbaceous habitats. Bird watching as part of the research on the olive vineyards. Photography: Raz Simon
No need to choose: any method and its advantages
And what about the farmers? According to Simon, the research examined the balance between the economic benefit to the farmer and the external benefits such as ecological and scenic values. "The economic survey included in-depth interviews with the farmers at the various interfaces," she says. "Although our sample size was small, but from an analysis of the income and expenditure data we received from the farmers, we saw that the organic farming method is more profitable due to a higher product price, and that the amount of the crop is similar to that of intensive farming. However, the organic interface also has advantages from an ecological point of view.'
On top of that, the researchers conducted a social survey in which 300 people participated, representing various segments of the population. The participants were asked to prioritize the landscape photos shown to them according to their sense of belonging and connection to the place, and whether they would like to spend there in their free time. According to Simon, the traditional interface received the highest scores, the extensive and organic came next and in last place is the intensive interface. "The results of the survey showed that there is great value to the landscape in the traditional, extensive and organic farming methods as areas for leisure and recreation, cultural groups and as landscapes that contribute to the feeling of connection and belonging," she says.
So, from the various surveys it appears that in each of the methods, except for the intensive method, there are important values. "There are a variety of interfaces and each one provides a different system service," says Dr. Hila Segara from the Volcani Institute, who co-wrote the study. According to her, there is a place for organic agriculture that is more industrial but also more profitable and ecological, and also a place for extensive agriculture and traditional agriculture. "No A uniform interface should be promoted everywhere, because there is no single solution," she says. "The article maps all the system services that you get from each type of interface, so that you can find them Different solutions that suit every farmer and every region.'

The intensive agriculture includes cultivation of the land with heavy mechanization, spraying against weeds and against pests such as the olive fly and artificial fertilization. Photography: Raz Simon
Opportunity for double profit
"The organic interface can have a double profit and all that is needed is to raise awareness - there is a tremendous opportunity here to encourage farmers to switch to organic farming which is both financially profitable and protects the environment and the landscape," says Prof. Assaf Schwartz, ecologist and head of the landscape architecture track at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technion, and one of the authors of the study. According to him, the agricultural areas produce extremely important natural and landscape values, but the farmer does not profit from these values, and sometimes even loses. "That's why we're looking for opportunities to encourage environmental agriculture that preserves nature and the landscape in a way that's also profitable for the farmer," he says.
On top of that, according to Schwartz, in regards to the extensive and traditional interfaces, we have an opportunity to correct a historical injustice for the Arab society, and the way to do this is through financial support from the state. "Profit is not the main story in these farming methods, and the purpose of the financial support is to give an incentive to preserve the agricultural tradition, which will help preserve nature and the landscape of many ecologically valuable areas," he says.
According to Schwartz, direct support to farmers to promote environmental agriculture is an accepted practice in Europe, and about 40 percent of the EU budget are invested in promoting environmental agriculture and supporting farmers. "Unfortunately, there are no similar supports in Israel. In a previous study we conducted, we found that there is a great willingness on the part of farmers to promote more environmental agriculture,' he says. According to him, a large part of the farmers are not interested in subsidies but only in reliable knowledge, training and the economic safety net of the state. "The research findings created an opportunity that the state should take with both hands in order to advance the agricultural sector in Israel towards a more sustainable future," he concludes.