Jewish National Fund-USA’s strategic vision has been and always will be, to ensure a strong, secure, and prosperous future for the land and people of Israel.
Since its establishment in 1901, JNF plants trees, builds houses and parks, sources water solutions, boosts tourism, supports Aliyah, and funds agricultural research. Each project, each program, each partnership, is consistent with JNF’s strategic vision – population growth in the north and south, infrastructure development, ecology, forestation and more — all for the land and people of Israel.
As part of its Blueprint Negev initiative, JNF-USA is working to develop the Arava and to encourage new families to move to the area. The JNF-USA Kasser Joint Institute for Food, Water and Energy Security will promote the area, create more job opportunities, and improve quality of life in the region.
For more information on JNF – USA:
Located in one of the most arid portions of the United States, the University of Arizona is recognized globally for its research related to broad aspects of arid lands including the natural environment and agriculture. Its water resources research has been ranked among the best in the world by the Shanghai Ranking. Water sustainability is a critical natural resource concern in Arizona, the western United States, and globally. The University of Arizona’s focus on solutions to the challenges to food, water, and energy security includes work based at many colleges and research centers, including the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, Arizona Experiment Station, Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST)
Center, the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, the Water Resources Research Center, and the Indigenous Resilience Center. The iconic laboratory Biosphere 2 serves as a unique platform for research in sustainability, including the role of the microbiome in agriculture. As Arizona’s land-grant university, the University of Arizona’s partnership with the Arava Valley and JNF-USA represents and extension of its long history of working successfully through partnerships to improve the wellbeing of communities and environments throughout the world.
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The Arava region in the Negev desert is perhaps the best example of a resilient community in a hyper-arid environment. Located in the south of Israel, it has temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, with less than an inch of rain during the year. Though it represents 25% of the land of Israel, it is home to a mere 9,000 residents. For the past 50 years, under these challenging conditions, its residents have managed to build a modern, vibrant community with an economy based on agriculture, solar energy, water recycling, research, and academic programs. The research and technology developed in the region provide the groundwork on which to develop solutions to global issues.
The Arava Valley is home to many important academic and research institutions including the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT), the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Initiative, research and development stations, and more. These institutions find solutions for the challenges that the residents of the region confront and export their knowledge to other countries. The potential for increased information sharing is great.
