Israel is known for it's Jaiffa oranges, but these days the country's citrus industry is focusing on being greener.
According to JSpace.com, "65% of the Israeli citrus groves now employ Integrative Pest Management programs that use parasitic wasps and predatory insects instead of dangerous chemicals to reduce pests." In addition to these measures, farmers are also using more sustainable and chemical-free techniques in their work.
Many farmers are also making the move to more sustainable and chemical-free methods to conserve the environment while meeting the need for organic fruits worldwide. The Soil Erosion Research Station notes that some farmers are using cover crops to help resist soil erosion. "Although the trend in recent years in Israel has been to grow cover crops (mainly oats) between tree rows, especially in young orchards (subtropical and deciduous), there has yet to be a comprehensive short- and long-term evaluation of the overall implications of altering the orchard ecosystem," the website said.
The environmentally-friendly practices are in response to demands in the European market, where Israel ships 90% of its fruit. Although Europe's economy has been in a downslide, Israel's citrus exports have increased 14% from previous years.
The country is trying to expand the market of citrus, and it is gaining attention for interesting fruit combinations like the limequat and oranges that have virtually no seeds and are easier to peel. In fact, Israel shipped 536,000 tons of fruit to 45 countries in 2011.
