Yaakov (Yankele) Moskowitz, chairman of the Ramat Negev Agricultural Committee and president of the upcoming Israel Agriculture Conference 2025, is warning of a severe decline in Israel's food security and widespread desertification, along with the loss of vital water resources. He stressed that the threat is not limited to Iran but is already taking shape in Israel.
"It is possible to grow almost anything in the Negev," Moskowitz said. "Every year, about 100 million cubic meters of purified water are dumped into the sea instead of being diverted to the Negev. This is negligence. If we continue at this rate, we will become like Iran, a country suffering from ongoing drought with no solutions. Action must be taken now, not five years from now."
Moskowitz emphasized that the Negev is Israel's agricultural future, pointing to tens of thousands of unused acres, particularly in the Ramat Negev region, which could secure agricultural independence and ensure affordable food prices for consumers.
He criticized state policies over the past decade, arguing that government reliance on cheap imports had failed to reduce the cost of living. "The traders buy cheaply and sell at high prices, the state has no control, and the consumer ends up paying," he said. "After October 7, we all understood that food security cannot rely on imports. It must be based on local production."
The veteran agricultural leader insisted that food prices could be lowered significantly if the government expanded domestic production. "If we increase agricultural production in Israel, prices will fall. Today there are enormous brokerage gaps. The state must provide a safety net for farmers and consumers, just as Western countries do. That is the key to lowering prices, not imports and illusions."
Moskowitz concluded, "Israel has an opportunity to make the Negev the future of its agriculture. If we look after ourselves, we will secure food security for generations to come. If we continue to ignore the problem, we will find ourselves with empty shelves."
The Israel Agriculture Conference 2025 will take place September 2–4 at the Brown Hotel in Jerusalem. This year, the event will focus on the cost of living and the question of why life in Israel is so expensive, and how the country can ensure food security for its citizens.
The conference is being organized in cooperation with the Agriculture Ministry, the Regional Government Center, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), the Moshav Movement, the Kibbutz Movement, the KANAT Insurance Fund, and the Ramat Negev Regional Council.
