"The point of a startup is not the idea, it is to find a solution for a challenge"
"The point of a startup is not the idea, it is to find a solution for a challenge"
Agritech has the potential to solve some of the world's biggest problems, explains Dr. Michal Levy, Chief Scientist & Senior Deputy Director General, Agricultural Innovation at the Ministry of Agriculture
“The pandemic raised a global concern for food security on the one hand and, on the other hand, we are all aware and concerned about climate change. Both have a huge impact on agriculture and how we practice it," Dr. Michal Levy, Chief Scientist and Senior Deputy Director General, Agricultural Innovation at the Ministry of Agriculture, told CTech. "The main concern of humanity is protein and how to produce it sustainably. It can be derived from different sources such as new plants. For example, potatoes which are considered carbs, contain only 4% protein. However, if we can change that to 10% then it is a whole other story. An additional option is aquaculture, how we grow fish. We can create new species that are currently caught in the oceans and grow them on land, in closed systems. Or we can grow algae to feed animals, feed people or produce different ingredients that produce medicine. Of course, there is also the option for alternative protein. Israel is a leader in that field.”
Why protein?
“Protein is important for our diet and in order to produce it we need animals. Growing animals is not efficient, also the world's population is growing and we need more food.”
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Dr. Michal Levy, Chief Scientist and Senior Deputy Director General, Agricultural Innovation, at the Ministry of Agriculture.
(Photo: Rotem Lahav)
Dr. Levy was speaking on the back of the Agrisrael Sea the Future Summit held in Eilat last week. “It was overwhelming from two points of view. First off, professionally, as we had amazing speakers and the audience that came were the ‘right people’. We also had a very nice exhibition of startups that brought a lot of attention. Second, it was impressive to see the delegations that come from all over the world, especially from our region such as Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, the Emirates and others. It was heartwarming to see Israel has a lot to offer on this topic.”
Levy broke down some of the different programs the ministry offers startups. "For example we support startups when they decide to do pilot research with a grower. Together with the Israel Innovation Authority we take a startup and a farmer and we offer funding. The idea is to test the product, which is in its demo stage, and we are looking for input from the grower and for the company to see how the partnership affects their sales and their first customers.
“We also support growers when they want to implement new technologies. We fund some of the cost when they want to use the tech in their fields. We also have our own research. We try to have a program for each step, from idea to implementation."
What tips would you give a company with an idea that is just starting out?
Levy smiles at the question. “The most important thing is to be in touch with the field. Those that are actually doing the work. The point of a startup is not the idea, it is to find a solution for a challenge. When you do it together with people that face the challenge it will be more precise and fit the need. This is, of course, relevant everywhere, not just in agriculture."
First published: 09:00, 01.11.22
