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BARD newsbites

Dear friends and colleagues,

As we come to the end of 2021, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of you, for your determination, hard work, understanding, and flexibility as we navigated through an unprecedented time in our societies. Nevertheless, we were able to accomplish all our original goals for 2021. I can proudly say we came together and made the best of it. Across all our programs, the BARD team created new processes in order to enable greater accessibility and better work practices.

The UN Glasgow climate-change summit focused public attention on climate change and its impact. Sustainable agri-environmental management is one of  BARD’s priority areas and the theme is woven into most panels' sub-goals. Climate-smart agriculture seeks out a science-based approach that will  provide us with the tools needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development, while ensuring food security in a changing climate. Both the U.S. and Israel have committed to support R&D efforts for climate mitigation and adaptation technologies, and I believe BARD-supported scientists’ first-rate work will be part of the solutions we will see.

To this end, this year BARD will support three scientific workshops that will focus on: insect reproductive molecules, food security strategies, and the effects of treated wastewater reuse in agriculture. I encourage all of you to check out these events that will allow remote participation. More about this year’s workshops in this newsletter.

Finally, I am proud to note that BARD’s postdoc fellowship program is marking its 35th year. We were recently recognized for the program's excellence and achievements at the Israel agricultural science conference. The program‘s main accomplishment is that 73% of the Va’adia-BARD postdoctoral scholars obtained research positions in academia or research institutions upon return to their country of origin.

On behalf of the BARD team, I'd like to share our warm season's greetings for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Yoram Kapulnik,
BARD's Executive Director

Israel Seeks Strategic Partnership in Agriculture

"In the past several decades, we have gained an in-depth understanding of farming under drought conditions. That is one area in which we could share knowledge with the US,” says Israeli Minister of Agriculture Mr. Oded Forer, concluding a three-day visit to Washington.

In the photo: Dr. Howard Q. Zhang, Director for the Beltsville USDA Agricultural Research Center with Mr. Oded Forer.

The Va’adia-BARD Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Marking 35 years of Excellence

Special recognition granted to BARD for its post-doc fellowship program. “This recognition is a testament to the fact that the Va’adia-BARD postdoctoral program is an invaluable component of the agricultural research and development community's landscape", said Prof. Kapulnik upon receiving the recognition.

In the photo: Prof. Yoram Kapulnik  honored with a plaque by Prof. Zvi Peleg, chairman of organizing committee, 2021 Israel agricultural science conference “In appreciation of your support of agricultural research and marking 35 years of activity of the Va’adia-BARD postdoctoral fellowship program”.

The BARD Graduate Student Fellowship

The Vaadia-BARD Postdoctoral Fellowship

Senior Research Fellowship Program

The BARD International Workshop grant

BARD 2022 Workshops

Experts from the U.S and Israel will meet to identify research needs in areas of new development. This year's workshops will focus on: insect reproductive molecules, food security strategies, and the effects of treated wastewater reuse in agriculture.

Spotlight on Research

Reducing Olive Harvesting Costs

BARD project aims to reduce table olive harvesting costs by developing a cost-effective harvesting system for small and large growers. Researchers are testing the uses of electric motors, sensors, and smart control algorithms to develop an intelligent machine that can accommodate the different shapes of trees to produce sufficient energy for efficient fruit removal.

Maximizing  Biopesticides Benefits

Experts in material science, plant protection and biological control aim to enhance the effectiveness of Entomopathogenic fungi use as biopesticides in biological pest control by maximizing the distribution of entomopathogenic fungi on the plant canopy,
ensuring the prevention of spray drift from the leaves in order to increase persistence and     protecting against UV damage.

Va'adia-BARD Postdoc Fellows

Getting to the Roots

Dr. Gilad Gabay: "My research focuses on the root effect on drought resistance. Examining root traits is very challenging since they are hidden under the soil. However, we develop a method of characterizing root traits in a  hydroponic system, which has a high correlation to what we see in the field".

Alternative Protein

Dr. Shira Bukchin-Peles:"Insects could be a game-changer in the race to combat present and future food insecurity. They are a naturally renewable source of food, and they have a high feed conversion efficiency and rapid fecundity. Minimal land and water are required for their rearing, and they have many nutritional benefits".

BARD is a competitive funding program that supports collaborative agricultural research in areas of mutual interest to the U.S. and Israel. BARD, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel. We sent out this message to existing BARD contacts. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, simply click on the following link to unsubscribe.