Central Arava Farmers Begin Pepper Season Amid Water Crisis and Export Goals
Farmers in the Central Arava region of Israel have started planting peppers in greenhouses despite an ongoing water shortage crisis. These farmers aim to harvest a high-quality winter crop to meet export agreements with European and northern countries, which rely on Arava produce during their colder months. Entire farming families are involved in the intensive planting process, focusing mainly on premium pepper varieties destined for export. The winter harvest is a key economic advantage for the region.
The water shortage has worsened over the past year due to multiple drilling malfunctions, especially on the Jordanian side, leading to declining water quality and restrictions on water allocations for farmers in some communities. Mekorot, the national water company, is working to repair wells and has increased desalinated water supplies from Ashkelon, but farmers still face significant cutbacks and challenges.
In response to the water crisis, some farmers have diversified their crops beyond traditional peppers to include eggplants, herbs, various tomatoes, zucchini, onions, pumpkins, cucumbers, and other vegetables, covering thousands of dunams. Researchers at the Central and Northern Arava Agricultural Research Station continue developing solutions for farming in the harsh desert climate with brackish water.
One farmer, Nir Hendel from the moshav Paran, who moved to the Arava seven years ago, described the pepper planting season as a family event that has become more meaningful amid water difficulties. Hendel cultivates 25 dunams of dates and 60 dunams of peppers and expressed hope for a resolution to the water crisis, noting community cooperation in managing irrigation schedules.
The Central Arava Regional Council includes seven settlements, five of which are agricultural, with about 65% of residents engaged in farming across roughly 34,000 dunams. Vegetable crops cover 22,000 dunams, orchards 11,000 dunams, and flowers 600 dunams. Pepper cultivation remains dominant among vegetables, spanning about 7,000 dunams, alongside watermelon and melon farming on 5,000 and 3,500 dunams respectively.
