Around the world, millions of people struggle to find enough food simply to stay alive. Four hundred million children, mostly in developing countries, are chronically undernourished.

Rising food prices and growing shortages of staples like rice and wheat make headlines daily. The world is no longer producing enough food to meet the needs of a growing population, due in large part to water scarcity, pollution, soil erosion and pestilence – all of which are exacerbated by global warming.

Since 1942, Hebrew University scientists at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in Rehovot, Israel, have been researching—and finding solutions for—these major environmental
challenges.

Researchers from Hebrew University helped turn Israel’s inhospitable terrain into fertile farmland by inventing sustainable, eco-friendly
techniques such as drip irrigation and cover technology – methods now used across the world. They have taught farmers how to raise
fish in non-polluting, seawater ponds. HU innovation has produced disease-resistant plants that thrive in arid climates and has boosted the nutritional value in foods like chickpeas, rice, peppers and tomatoes.

Now, with a $15 million challenge grant from the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and AFHU are launching the Feeding the World Through Sustainable Agriculture campaign to expand HU’s cutting edge research. Join AFHU in harnessing the power of interdisciplinary plant and animal sciences to help feed the world and sustain natural resources.

The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences
Select projects:

• Conducting biotechnology and biochemistry at the cellular, tissue and organism level
• Producing natural compounds
• Breeding crops and farm animals for improved traits
• Raising plant tolerance of heat, drought and salt stress
• Applied ecology and nature conservation
• Expanding plant varieties through genetic research

The Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition
Select projects:

• Investigating the effects of nutrients on human health at the molecular, cellular and physiological levels
• Assessing the impact of diet on longevity
• Exploring therapeutic properties of vegetables and fruits
• Developing new means to prevent food spoilage
• Using probiotic bacteria as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents

The Complex for Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
Select projects:

• Adapting farm animals to hot and arid climates
• Developing new technologies for farming
• Decreasing the incidence of infectious diseases
• Protecting wildlife and endangered species
• Providing veterinary services to detect and eradicate diseases in livestock and pets

The Institute of Environmental and Natural Resources in Agriculture
Select projects:

• Improving soil, water and biotic resources
• Developing innovative technologies to increase crop yields
• Wastewater and agricultural waste recycling
• Using natural enemies to biologically control pests and pathogens
• Identifying natural ways to curb disease-causing pollutants