Advanced Water Agriculture

Water agriculture is characterized on one hand by the growing global demand for high-quality, fresh fish whose cultivation does not harm the environment, and on the other hand, by a field suffering from declining yields and outdated methods used worldwide.

In fish ponds, there is a need for constant monitoring of water quality parameters that affect fish health and survival. Currently, only oxygen saturation and temperature are measured daily, while other parameters (such as total dissolved solids, presence of organic materials, etc.) are measured weekly or less frequently. DataValley has identified an opportunity to provide innovative technology for farmers—a management tool that offers a comprehensive data collection and analysis solution.

The system is designed to serve as an essential working tool for every farmer. It is an innovative, functional technological system—a management tool that includes sensors, an application, and a dashboard for real-time alerts and data analysis.

The global aquaculture market has been undergoing significant changes and developments in recent years. The understanding that we must move away from the seas and oceans and transition to land-based fish farming is transforming the market. This realization creates business opportunities and necessitates the introduction of innovative technologies to be efficient and meet market demands.

PhenOlives is a startup addressing the challenges faced by olive oil mills worldwide. These mills struggle with inefficient resource utilization, resulting in 85% of raw materials going to waste.

This unsustainable practice endangers the very operation and survival of the mills while perpetuating environmental pollution.

This is where PhenOlives steps in! Our mission is to maximize profitability and optimize production and waste management systems while ensuring environmental protection, sustainability, and green production.

PhenOlives develops new methods for managing mill waste according to the principles of a circular economy. We assist mills, which currently utilize only 15% of their input, in transforming their production processes to achieve maximum olive utilization. These processes involve redesigning all production stages, from the water used to the olive pomace collection pits, identifying new and valuable purposes for every element and process within the production system and the facility as a whole.

In 2022, salmon imports to Israel reached 58,500 tons in live fish terms, resulting in an average market growth of 6% per year since 2010, with an average price increase of 2.5% per year.

The technology chosen by Invali Technologies allows for the first-time cultivation of this fish in Israel, providing the producer with a strong capability to compete with imports and certainly surpass them in product quality metrics (freshness and health). Several salmon farms utilizing this technology have been established globally, tailored for local markets. These farms have been set up in a variety of environments and climates: from the Swiss Alps to the deserts of Dubai and the plains of Florida, with annual production outputs ranging from a few hundred tons to tens of thousands.

The facility is planned to market 40 tons of salmon per year, with its main objectives being to assess the economic viability and quality of local cultivation, to evaluate technologies for closed systems, and to gain experience for the design and operation of commercial systems. Currently, among the partners in the venture are KKL, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Shan Group, Zemach Feed Mill, the Fish Farmers Organization, and Sde Eliyahu.

The facility is being constructed with the planning and consulting of INNOVESA, an American company specializing in such installations. Additionally, Professor Yonathan Zohar, a pioneer of the National Institute for Marine Agriculture in Eilat and co-founder of the Center for Marine Biotechnology at the University of Maryland in the USA, which he directed for 14 years, is part of the planning team. Professor Zohar is currently the head of the Department of Marine Biology and director of the Aquaculture Research Center at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the University of Maryland and leads national R&D programs of the U.S. government for land-based fish farming in general and salmon in particular.

The project involves biological and economic questions that require careful examination and identification of existing knowledge in this new and developing field worldwide.

The Valley of Springs is located at a strategically important geographical point for date cultivation. Here, along the entire stretch of the Jordan River Valley, from south of the Sea of Galilee to the south of the Dead Sea, lies the global cradle of date cultivation. The date palm is a crucial part of the geographical environment in which we live and create, and it is an important part of the local culture and tradition, as it was thousands of years ago and as it is today.

The dates harvested in the north and south arrive at the large packing houses located near the distillery, where they are sorted according to various aesthetic standards such as size, shape, and skin texture, and are sent according to their grading to different markets.

Those that are not “pretty enough” to be exported or sent to stores come to us at the ZOARA Distillery and are turned into alcohol and various alcoholic beverages.
Thus, the waste of one industry becomes the quality raw material of another industry.