Israel AgriWeb

About the Program

Israel AgriWeb is a ground breaking online agricultural extension program designed to increase the productivity, profitability, resilience and sustainability of Caribbean agriculture. It provides farmers across the regions with direct access to Israel’s world class experts, its innovations and an online support community.

The Challenge:

Farmers need access to professional agricultural support and technologies to transition to modern agriculture so they can increase domestic production.

This is a critical goal for the region because:

80-90% of food is imported. This renders the Caribbean vulnerable to external shocks like COVID, which saw food shortages and rising prices, exacerbating inequalities.
On average approximately 18% of the population is undernourished. According to the FAO, 'many food insecure people depend on the agricultural sector for their livelihoods’.
Missed economic opportunities: ”Growth in agriculture is the most efficient way to lift poor people out of poverty, providing a livelihood and greater income for the farmers themselves.” Caribbean Development Bank.

Over the course of every webinar series, each cohort will receive a tailor-made program comprising the following components:

The Academy

Each episode is focused on a specific challenge facing our participants and how they can use practical, affordable and easily available solutions to address it. Our team gathers questions and interacts on the live chat throughout the episode and help guide the live Q&A segment to address pressing questions (we also provide direct follow up with videos and other helpful content to address any unanswered questions).

We work with local leadership to determine the ideal location to conduct physical training and demonstrations. Our researchers demonstrate the application of best practices and new solutions on the ground. As paricipants are often spread over a wide geographic area, those who cannot join physically are invited to participate virtually, and all participants gain from seeing the practices they learnt about in theory being applied in a familiar setting.

The Lab

The Campus

As part of our investment in the growth and impact of each participant, program graduates are invited to join an ever growing alumni network for peer engagement. Using this platform, participants can ask questions, provide advice and support and be active and contributing members of a growing community of smallholder farmers. We regularly update the forum with new information and our experts are ongoing, contributing members.

Key Deliverables

Live interactive webinars taught by leading Israeli experts
Q&A function enabling participants to raised extension questions with Israeli experts
Online community for peer-to-peer support
Participant directory to facilitate networking, partnerships and peer-to-peer problem solving
Live events introducing relevant actors and companies throughout the value chain
Sessions introducing relevant innovations
Demonstration videos tangibly demonstrating protocols and technologies
How-to guides to assist farmers with implementation in the field

The AgriWeb Ethos

Co - Design

When designing the curriculum, we

engage with farmers, lay leaders and other stakeholders on a vast scale to identify the most relevant topics and challenges on the ground. Before sharing solutions, we check with local partners to ensure their suitability to Caribbean conditions. During the program, we encourage participants to volunteer solutions and even post their own content.

Actionable Information

The aim of AgriWeb isn't just to learn,

it's to do. Our experts focus on sharing information that is practical, implementable and impactful. We provide supportive materials to help participants put this information into practice. Every webinar is designed to empower our participants to implement change and reap the rewards of their newly acquired knowledge.

Simple is beautiful. Cheap is good. Free

is better. Wherever possible, we focus on solutions that are the most simple and affordable and require the least access to specialized equipment. We want to share information that can be implemented by the vast majority of our attendees, including those facing the greatest

financial challenges.

Suitable Solutions

MEET OUR FIRST PIONEER

Ngabaghila Chatata (Ngaba) is a prominent Malawian agri- entrepreneur and our first partner for the Israel-Africa Pioneer program. When Ngaba realized that Malawi was importing nearly all of its high-value crops, she recognized a sizable opportunity and envisaged Malawi as a country that could grow its own food. As a result, she founded Thanthwe Farms.

Read About the Pilot

Working with our partners Dr. Andre Thomas of the Caribbean Israel Leadership Coalition and The Hon. Michael Clifton Pintard, Minister of the Bahamian Ministry of Agriculture, we launched our pilot series with over 2,500 registrants throughout the Caribbean in February 2021.

Key Achievements

92%

of participants surveyed are considering new farming methods

46%

of participants surveyed were female (and 16% were youth)

98%

of participants surveyed rated the program was excellent or good

1498

participants took part, joining from 48 different countries

1000+

participants are still actively engaged in the "campus"

Become a Corporate Partner

We would be keen to discuss synergies and partnership opportunities to deliver the Israel AgriWeb program. Reach out to discuss how your company can directly engage with this important initiative.