BARD Invests in Agricultural Research to Improve Food and Farm Systems

Israel Fund Backs Future Ready Farming Projects

The U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) is investing $10.5 million in 2025 to promote innovation in agriculture.

The funding will support 27 research projects, seven postdoctoral fellowships, nine graduate fellowships, and one senior U.S. researcher in Israel. It will also sponsor three global workshops to drive collaboration.

The top focus this year is precision agriculture, with advanced technologies like robot-controlled irrigation and mobile systems for crop monitoring. These help farmers improve efficiency and cut costs.

In animal health, scientists are developing better antibacterial solutions for poultry and studying reproductive health in cattle. These will lead to better farm animal care and higher output.

BARD is also backing aquaculture research, focusing on sustainable methods to grow crayfish and catfish, supporting environmentally friendly seafood systems.

Plant protection projects aim to reduce crop losses by tackling diseases, improving virus resistance, and helping plants like watermelon survive droughts.

On the environmental side, researchers will work on converting methane from animal waste into energy and using nitrogen more efficiently. BARD is also supporting nutrition research, aiming to improve the quality of plant-based foods.

Prof. Yoram Kapulnik, BARD Executive Director, said, “The diverse and impactful research funded by BARD this year underscores our unwavering commitment to agricultural innovation. These projects are crucial investments in a more resilient and food-secure future.”

Through this funding, BARD continues to link top scientists in the U.S. and Israel to solve the world’s biggest farming and food challenges.