One of the great ironies of life on earth is that, on a planet that is approximately 75 percent covered in water, the demand for safe drinking water is higher than the supply. Fresh water makes up only about 2.5% of the total water supply, and for a continuously growing population, this creates some limits. Fortunately, technological innovations are creating solutions for a world that needs more water, and Israel is leading the way.

Israeli Drip Irrigation

Israel, as a small, desert nation, may seem an unlikely water leader in the world. But the limits in natural water resources it faces, combined with a national focus on fostering technological innovation, have led to a boom in developments that are helping the world. Israel leads the way in applying drip irrigation solutions to use water efficiently. This technique allows farmers to use exactly what is needed to help grow crops. And compared to flood irrigation, drip uses between 25 percent and 75 percent less water, maximizing the efficiency of an increasingly scarce resource. Companies like Netafim, the inventor of this technology, continue to find new ways to improve and expand the use of this work; Israeli companies are working with countries as diverse as Kazakhstan and the United States to efficiently irrigate in arid regions around the world.

Desalination to Increase Usable Supplies

With most of the world's water supply coming from salt water, conservation is not enough; desalination techniques are critical for helping increase the amount of water you can use every day. Here again, Israel's tech-savvy environment has helped turn challenges into opportunities. The world's largest desalination plant belongs to Sorek in Israel, which applies reverse osmosis to create a daily production capacity of 627,000 cubic meters of water. Israel now obtains 55 percent of its domestic water through desalination.

Processes to remove salt and purify the water supply continue to evolve. For example, Israeli inventors have developed a chemical-free desalination process aimed at improving the safety of drinking water over what previous technologies have allowed.

For investors, this creates a market opportunity to help improve the world and generate a fourfold or greater return while doing so. The world will continue to grow in population, and the innovative power of intelligent people working together will continue to yield solutions to better the living conditions we experience. Israel's experience and expertise in water innovation is leading the way.

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