The government of Israel is exploring opportunities of cooperation with the provincial government of Ilocos Norte regarding best practices in modern agriculture.

In a press conference held at the Ilocos Norte Capitol on Wednesday, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh said discussions with local officials have been opened to address challenges on food security.

“Opportunities are tremendous and we are looking forward to discussing ways of greater collaboration,” Kursh said.

Kursh was on a two-day visit to Ilocos Norte to strengthen cultural ties, promote business exchanges and deepen people-to-people connections.

The Israeli ambassador said a demonstration farm will be set up at the state-run Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City to showcase Israel’s technology that could be adopted locally.

Among the innovations being considered is Israel’s water harvesting technology, she said.

“This is the next big thing and we would like to help. We can bring a lot of experts to learn from us,” Kursh said.

Kursh also invited Filipino students to apply to the Philippine-Israel Internship Program for the Youth, an 11-month on-farm training, to learn about the advanced technologies and practices that make Israel’s agriculture sector world-class.

The program, which has benefited over 600 students in the past two years, is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) and the Agrostudies International Training Center. (PNA)