EcoFuture Pilot Demonstration in Israel: Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Ecosystem

The EcoFuture project is progressing effectively in Israel with its pilot demonstration. By co-designing innovative solutions with the National Living Labs approach, the project is able to address key challenges of the WEFE Nexus.

The Israeli pilot focuses on fishpond farming because the area called Valley of the Springs is economically dependent on aquaculture with 60% of Israel’s fishpond farms located in the region. In fact, 67 Mm3/yr out of the total 136 Mm3/yr of water supply in the Israeli territory is used by aquaculture. The main concerns raised by the Israeli living lab stakeholders were about competition from imports, the high cost of inputs and government regulations, especially around the release of water from the ponds into the environment which serve as a barrier to efficient production. The thin profit margin in traditional open fishpond farming means that to survive, the fish industry must lower costs, increase productivity or achieve higher prices. Higher priced fish require more expensive food. Other challenges are the variation in the size of fish, the ability to monitor water quality and the ability to analyze data to understand how water quality impacts economic results. Among the environmental challenges mentioned were the quality of water released back into the ecosystem and water loss from evaporation and leakage into the ground, which requires the purchase of new water.  A proposal was made to pilot intensive fish farming called Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS). The principle of the system is to separate the fish raising area from the water treatment area of the ponds. A large pond is used as a reservoir for regulating and treating water, while small satellite ponds are used to grow fish in a larger biomass to water ratio with more control over water quality and temperature, and less food waste. The large reserve pond can be covered by solar panels to provide electricity for the water pumps and will reduce water loss from evaporation.  Algal growth in the large pond will increase the dissolved oxygen of the water and increase the ability for recirculation.

The EcoFuture project’s pilot demonstration in Israel is an important step forward in encouraging sustainable agricultural practices and improving all aspects of the WEFE Nexus as well as the livelihood of the aqua farmers.