Record heat hits Israel: Soaring food prices and climate change challenges - opinion

In June of this year, global temperatures reached the highest ever recorded, while Israel recorded the hottest July in 75 years. In August, the price of tomatoes surged to nearly NIS 30 ($8) per kilogram in some markets, and a ban has been placed on importing cucumbers due to bacterial contamination. This gives rise to pressing questions about the availability and cost of fresh produce in Israel. What will the Israeli salad look like in the future? And how much will it cost?

The challenges go beyond just salad, a particularly harsh season or specific shortage. The impact of climate change on food security is taking shape as a key challenge of the 21st century. Without immediate investment in finding solutions, we may face a severe crisis in the very near future.

Climate change profoundly affects food security by altering growing conditions, leading to reduced agricultural productivity due to excessive heat and water scarcity. Take the tomato, for example. 

Tomatoes suffer in the heat; heat waves and high nighttime temperatures impact the vitality of pollen grains, reducing their ability to fertilize flowers and produce fruit. This results in particularly poor yields during the peak summer period, leading to market shortages and higher prices, which impact farmers and the local economy. Additionally, extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, and additional changes in water availability challenge the efficient and secure irrigation of crops. The same is true for many other crops, and for agriculture at large.

As climate change is rapidly altering the surface of the planet, its impact on agriculture and food sources cannot be ignored. Addressing these challenges requires immediate investment in research and development of new technologies and advanced agricultural systems to adapt to these changes and ensure food supply to the growing world population.

Policy integration and support for farmers and food systems, as well as investment in research and development of innovative agricultural technologies, are essential to ensuring food security in the era of climate change – for example, the development of plant varieties adapted to extreme conditions, such as heat or salinity-resistant varieties. Such solutions enable cultivation in areas previously less suitable for agriculture and increase productivity under changing climate conditions.

ANOTHER CRITICAL area involves the development of smart water management technologies, including drip irrigation and computerized irrigation systems, which help conserve water resources and improve their efficiency. Israel has long been at the forefront of developing and implementing such innovative technologies, which other countries may seek to implement as well.

Climate change will affect pest populations that have not previously emerged in various locations; however, an increase in temperature will encourage their spread. In many parts of the world, new biotechnological technologies are also being developed to address pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides and insecticides and leading to more sustainable and consumer-safe agricultural production. These technologies need to prove themselves in the field, alongside additional solutions still under development.

New forms of agriculture

One frequently discussed topic in this context is urban and vertical agriculture, which allows growing food in closed systems closer to urban centers, reducing transportation costs and minimizing environmental impact. Although there is a 30% increase in the construction of such facilities worldwide, there remains a gap between the potential of these systems and their performance in practice – particularly due to the economic model, which requires improvements, mainly in reducing the energy costs needed for agricultural production in these methods.

Investment in advanced agricultural technologies, such as precision agriculture and data-driven agriculture, has proven beneficial in increasing productivity, saving on inputs, and reducing the impact of environmental and climatic risks. For example, the use of sensors and smart systems allows farmers to monitor soil and climate conditions and make immediate adjustments, primarily by receiving real-time alerts about crop distress or similar issues.

We must harness the power of AI and incorporate it into every aspect of agriculture in order to create supply chains that are precise, modern, cost-effective – and above all, resilient. With supply chains increasingly affected by natural disasters and extreme climate events as well as man-made disasters and various global events, building resilient supply chains is an overarching imperative.

Considering the significant challenges that climate change poses to food security, immediate investment in research and development is absolutely crucial. If we take the necessary steps now, we can ensure a secure and nourishing future for our growing global population. While critics might argue that investing in research and development is too costly, the cost of inaction threatens to be even higher.

The writer is executive director of the US-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD). He is a former director-general of the Volcani Center in Israel and earlier served as the head of numerous institutes within the center. He received his doctorate in soil microbiology from the Hebrew University and, as a Fulbright fellow, completed his postdoctoral work at the University of California, Davis.