Farmers in Israel's southern Negev region are transforming desert sands into fields of grapevines with the hopes of drawing wine-loving travelers to the region.
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"Our goal is that people will come here and stay overnight, dine, and tour here. It can be a targeted kind of tourism for people who love wine," Noa Schwartz-Shimoni, a project manager with the Merage Foundation Israel, told i24NEWS.
She added that the vineyards offer something fun for everyone, and that even children can participate in some events at the wineries.
"It can also be a nice activity for families," Schwartz-Shimoni said.
"During the harvest time, we have a nice event where you can pick grapes together with the farmer," she added.
Though the dry, arid environment presents a number of challenges for these modern farmers, winemaking is not new to the Negev. Archaeologists have unearthed winepresses revealing that wine has been produced in the region since ancient times.
Eyal Israel, the owner of Carmey Avdat Farm, uses the same 1,700-year-old terrace leveraged by ancient farmers for his vineyards.
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"The only way to gain enough water for the plantation was to plant everything at the bottom of the valley," he explained.
During periods of rain, "everything starts to flood, and the flood goes to the bottom of the valley."
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
