Project Partners Update: Service Crop Termination and Transition to Cotton Season

Southern growers field visit in the "green fallow" plot, Gvar'am. March 2024

Here is a brief update on recent developments.

Three out of the four farms in the project (Sha'albim, Gvar'am, and Mizra) have already sown cotton in the trial plots, and next week, Hazorea will begin sowing in their fields. This marks a significant milestone, signaling the need to ramp up data collection and field monitoring.

Irrigation and soil moisture monitoring systems will soon be installed in all plots, and another round of soil samples has been collected and sent for analysis. The results will be compared with the initial sampling values, and soon, we will begin receiving data on cotton germination rates from the field.

Additionally, on March 27, a Southern Growers Organization field tour was held in Gevaram. Organized by the Southern Growers Organization—a key partner in the project and a leading body in knowledge dissemination, agricultural training, and farmer education in the south—the tour concluded at the experimental plot.

At the final stop, Liron Israely presented the project's objectives and demonstrated the impact of cover crops on soil structure. The growers showed great interest, and a discussion emerged about the observations in the field, further emphasizing the importance of the project. It was a defining event, where a large group of farmers and key stakeholders in Israeli agriculture were introduced to our work, which continues to generate curiosity and engagement.

In summary, the project is making steady progress and will soon provide clearer data on the effects of the "green fallow" management approach in the cotton cycle compared to winter fallow. At the same time, we continue to refine our understanding, tailoring the approach for each farm individually and working toward an optimized yet accessible and practical alternative protocol for more growers.

Thank you all, and wishing everyone a great week!