Modern agriculture is intensive, controlled and demands high investments, inputs and knowhow. Regardless of the improvement of agricultural practices and productivity, there is no doubt that within the next 20 – 30 years, the world's food production will be lower than the demand. The anticipation is that the global food production will need to increase by 70% to meet the demand by the year 2050. Therefore, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has set their central goal on increasing the effectiveness of the agricultural practices, in order to increase production, improve nutritional quality of products and their shelf life.
Agricultural production is an important component in the reciprocal relations between human activity and the environment. Therefore, agricultural development must be performed while protecting and even enhancing environmental quality. As a result, the main challenge which stands before a scientist from the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, includes understanding of the processes which affect and improve the quality of the environment while achieving the goal of sustaining the agricultural environment and preserving it for future generations. Because of the complexity of the task, it will be essential to use economic tools as a mean of dealing with these challenges.
The goal of the Faculty's research is to promote basic, fundamental and applied research in agricultural sciences which include plant and animal sciences, food and nutrition sciences, ecology, entomology, microbiology and plant pathology, soil and water sciences and environmental economics. Our challenge is to increase high quality food production under changing climate conditions with minimal adverse environmental cost.
The Hebrew University's Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment opened its gates in 1942 to 21 students. Since then, it is the only institute of higher education in Israel offering university degrees in agriculture and currently has 2400 students enrolled. The Faculty offers academic programs leading to B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in agriculture, B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in nutrition (at the School of Nutritional Sciences) and a degree in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (at the only School of Veterinary Medicine in Israel). Our Faculty is the home for the International School of Agricultural Sciences which offers post- graduate programs on various agricultural subjects. These programs are conducted in English for the benefit of foreign students.
The Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment's activity is focused under four central research themes:
the physiology of the production and the reciprocal relations of the agricultural growth with its environment; genetics, evolution, breeding and agricultural genomics; biotechnology, cell biology and organism biology; applied ecology, preservation of nature and management of open fields.
animal physiology; biology of reproduction processes; feeding of ruminants; animal immunology; environmental physiology of animals.
biochemistry and microbiology of food; the chemistry and physics of the production process and food preservation; nutritional values and physiology from the single cell level to the whole organism; functional foods and probiotics; nutrition and metabolistic diseases.
investigation of the soil-water-plant- atmosphere continuum in relation to water uptake, fertilization and pollution; environmental microbiology; fungus-bacteria-plant relations; synthetic biology of the microorganism; development of new solutions to agricultural pests; pollination quality improvement in different growths, narrowing usage of pesticides; agroecology and preservation of nature; environmental economics and management of natural resources; economy of the agricultural sector and agricultural policy; water resource economics; food products marketing, development initiatives in agribusiness.
Over the years, our research has introduced many accomplishments in Israel and worldwide. Research at the Faculty has brought upon many improvements such as:
The research at the Department of Animal Sciences covers various aspects of animal sciences at cell, tissue, and whole animal level. Our research focuses on animal production related to environment and welfare, animal physiology and environmental physiology, animal nutrition, epigenetics, endocrinology, animal genetics and genomics.
The vision of the Department is to be a national and international center of excellence, innovation and creativity, both in research and in teaching. These goals are achieved by conducting novel basic and applied biology research on farm animals, training experts in sustainable animal agriculture and developing professional interactions with academic and business authorities related to farm animal agriculture.
The Department is conducting research in the following fields:
Dairy milk quality;
Skeletal muscle repair;
Environmental and nutritional effects on muscle growth;
Nutrition and feedstuffs for ruminants;
Cow fertility and bovine reproduction;
Pathogenic stress;
Endocrine disruptors;
Stem cells and epigenetics;
Aquaculture: technology, reproduction and genetics;
Aquatic microbiology
Poultry husbandry, nutrition and immunology
Department of Animal Sciences
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Phone: +972-(0)8-9489119
Fax: +972-(0)8-9465763
Yael Lewitus, Department Secretary
e-mail: yaellew@savion.huji.ac.il
The Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition is engaged in a wide range of research endeavours dedicated to studying the effects of nutrients on human health at the molecular, cellular, and physiological levels, as well as the molecular composition, physical properties and technological aspects of foods.
The Institute fosters a multidisciplinary research environment combining biochemical and medical expertise in nutrition and metabolism with an understanding of microbiology, chemistry and physics and of food and food components to create advanced food technology.
The Institute has three central areas of research expertise:
Functional foods and nutraceuticals: investigating therapeutic properties of food products.
Food science, technology, and biochemistry: improving food quality and innovative technologies for new product development.
Nutrition and health: the effect of diet on gene expression and metabolism.
The Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition hosts visiting scientists, exchange students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world, creating a vibrant academic community and an atmosphere of intellectual discourse and exchange. The relatively small size of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment enables staff and students from the Institute to interact with colleagues from around the Faculty in a stimulating and professional environment.
Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition,
Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
P.O.Box 12, Rehovot 7610001, ISRAEL
Tel: +972 - (0)8-9489746
Fax: +972 - (0)8-9363208
Email Address: yaelf@savion.huji.ac.il
The lives of humans and insects are closely entwined, and have been so since our early origins. Some insects adversely affect human health, some are a burden on our agricultural production, and yet others are beneficial by pollinating crops and attacking pests.
The Department of Entomology is in a unique position to study the many facets of this broad interface, at various levels of biological organization. Research focuses on molecular, physiological, organismic, population and community level. In addition to the breadth of this focus, the Department is able to bring diverse analytical and experimental tools to bear. These tools vary from cutting edge genomic, neurophysiology and bioinformatic techniques, to rigorous ecological field based projects.
This research flexibility allows us to address basic questions in insect science, as well as to focus on solutions to pressing questions arising from imbalance in the insect-human interface. These relate to public health, crop production and conservation biology. Thus this enables the researchers to both investigate the truth (science) and to serve society.
The Department's research topics are as follows:
As human population grows and our environment faces many new challenges, the interface between humans and insects is constantly evolving. The Department is uniquely poised to address novel challenges as they arise. The staff of researchers expect, through their teaching and original, innovative research, to continue to provide solutions, which will contribute to human welfare, all while promoting and preserving a healthy and biologically diverse environment.
Department Of Entomology
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
P.O Box 12, Rehovot 76100, ISRAEL
Tel: 08-948-9223
Fax: 08-936-6768
email: orlytal@savion.huji.ac.il
The Department Office is located in Room 11 in the Eisenberg Entomology Building.
The Department of Environmental Economics and Management is the only academic department in Israel, which focuses on the research of agricultural and environmental economics and the management of natural resources.
The Department's research topics includes:
All research activities of the Department are organized within the Center for Agricultural Economic Research. Our program graduates hold key positions in agriculture, industrial and commercial corporations, banks and investment companies, private consulting firms and in public service.
The Department of Environmental Economics and Management
Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
PO Box 12, Rehovot 76100
Fax: 08-9466267
Secretary:
Miri Arazi, Tel: 08-9489230, E-mail: miriguy@savion.huji.ac.il
Sivan Assaf, Tel: 08-9489845, E-mail: sivanas@savion.huji.ac.il
The majority of the research at the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology focuses on basic and applied aspects of plant-associated and environmental microorganisms, with a central focus on fungi and bacteria viewed as either pathogens or beneficial organisms. Plants, our main suppliers of food and fibers, interact directly or indirectly with other organisms, including fungi and bacteria. From agricultural point of view the outcome of these interactions can be useful or harmful. The basic understanding of the biology of such microorganisms, as well as the way they interact with plants is of fundamental importance, since it can contribute to the development of sustainable strategies to cope with plant disease and/or promote higher crop yields, while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. In addition, advances in the understanding of microbial communities and microbial processes in the environment may provide insights that can be exploited for development of novel environmental and biotechnological approaches.
The research at the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology focuses on the following areas:
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology,
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
PO Box 12 Rehovot 76100,
Tel: 08-9489219,
Fax: 08-9466794
Department Secretary:
Mrs. Rina Byer
Tel: 08-9489219
Fax: 08-9466794
Email: rinab@savion.huji.ac.il
The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture brings together more than 20 excellent Plant Scientists who study a wide range of aspects of Plant Biology, which are relevant to agriculture.
The research aim of the Institute is to meet future agricultural requirements through applied and basic fundamental research in plant sciences. This research enables us to improve yields and its quality with a focus in the areas of agricultural plant physiology, genetics and molecular breeding, cell biology, genomics, proteomics and biotechnology.
Our research starts at the molecular and cellular levels, expands to the plant as a whole, and progresses all the way to the field.
Topics studied at the Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences & Genetics in Agriculture include basic developmental processes, interactions of plants with their environment, breeding and biotechnological applications, all while using physiological, biochemical, molecular and genetic approaches.
The research activity includes agriculturally important species such as wheat, sorghum, tomato, chickpea, sesame and pepper, which are studied along with fruit (e.g., olive) and forest trees, and model species such as Arabidopsis and Brachypodium.
The diversity of scientific questions, experimental approaches and studied species, reflects the Institute's deep belief that a rich scientific environment and interaction between a variety of researchers with different backgrounds and expertise are all essential for creative and productive research. This structure also provides a stimulating environment for the students, whom the Institute strives to train as future leaders in agriculture, research, biotechnology and education.
The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
POB 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Administrative Manager: Neomi Maimon
Tel: 972-8-948-9251,
Fax: 972-8-948-9899,
E-mail: neomim@savion.huji.ac.il
Environmental changes such as soil and water pollution, soil erosion, drought and soil depletion, are seriously affecting the ecosystem, which affects agriculture practices and food production.
To ensure that Israel is able to feed its growing population and maintain its agricultural export with limited soil and water resources, the development of state-of-the-art agriculture together with the preservation of the environment, have been pursued. These advances utilize the management of unique water resources (treated wastewater and desalinate waters), to create successful agriculture in an arid environment and to employ sustainable water treatment technologies.
Scientific activities in the Department of Soil and Water Sciences are focused on studying soil physics and soil chemistry while addressing the soil-water-atmosphere continuum.
The Department's research topics are as follows:
As the human population grows and our environment faces many new challenges, the interface between soil and water components is constantly evolving. The Department is uniquely poised to address novel challenges as they arise. The staff of researchers expect, through their teaching and original, innovative research, to continue to provide solutions which will contribute to human welfare, all while promoting and preserving a healthy environment.
The Department of Soil and Water Sciences
Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
P.O. Box 12
Rehovot 76100
ISRAEL
Department Secretary: Neomi Maimon
neomim@savion.huji.ac.il
tel: 972-8-9489340
fax: 972-8-9475181
The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine's primary mandate is to create a permanently evolving cadre of Israeli - trained veterinary professionals with a broad expertise in the particular climatic, zoological, and environmental conditions of Israel. The school aims to excel as a leader in veterinary research in Israel, to be a regional center of veterinary science in the Middle East and to make a global impact in this field.
Research at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine involves a broad range of basic and applied topics in veterinary science and focuses on improving the health of domestic, companion and wildlife animals. It also endeavors to contribute to human well-being at the interface between veterinary and human medicine.
Topics of research at the School include:
Infectious and zoonotic diseases which have serious implications for public and animal health; the pathogenesis of vector-borne diseases (e.g.: West Nile Fever, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, Leismaniasis, Ehrlichiosis, Bartonellosis); immunology, pathogen-host interactions and development of new vaccines; molecular evolution and ecology; developmental biology; biomechanical properties of bone; mechanisms responsible for epilepsy in animals; the pathogenesis of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD); veterinary pharmacological research and slow release preparations for drug administration through the gastrointestinal tract; veterinary oncology; veterinary entomology and disease transmission by arthropods; veterinary epidemiology; animal genetics; neurology and basic mechanisms in the brain function; challenges in veterinary clinical medicine.
The school includes researchers in basic sciences as well as faculty members who are clinicians. The staff pursues clinical to applied and basic research. Research at the School is mainly funded by external competitive grants. The spectrum of research continues to expand as the school grows, with a mission to serve as a center of excellence for clinical and basic veterinary research.
Koret School of Veterinary Medicine,
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Address: P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Phone: +972-(0)8-9489021/31;
Fax: +972-(0)8-9467940
E-Mail: vet.school@mail.huji.ac.il