In 2024, amid the challenges facing northern Israel, a new model for agricultural resilience took shape. Launched by MIGAL Galilee Research Institute in partnership with the Eastern Galilee Cluster, GrowingIL, the Ministry of Agriculture, and additional stakeholders, RegenUp was created to bridge one of agri-tech’s greatest challenges: the technology adoption gap.
While Israel is globally recognized as an agri-tech powerhouse, many innovations struggle to reach real farms under real economic conditions. RegenUp addresses this gap by placing farmers at the center of the process — from defining field challenges to piloting and evaluating tailored technological solutions.
The program integrates researchers, entrepreneurs, and extension specialists into a single implementation team that supports on-farm pilots before full deployment. Among the technologies already implemented:
- AI-powered robotic weed control (AgriPass)
- Satellite-based AI soil heat maps for precision fertilization (TierraSpec)
- Biochar-based orchard renewal solutions
- Smart drone-guided precision spraying (OSIRX)
What began with seven farmers during wartime is now expanding to twenty additional farms, positioning the Galilee as a living laboratory for regenerative, climate-smart agriculture.
The success of this Israeli model in overcoming the technology adoption gap has attracted international interest. A recent MIGAL delegation, led by Uri Ben-Herzel and Eric Ben Meir, traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, a global agri-tech hub, at the invitation of major American agricultural organizations and innovation units to present the unique model developed in the Galilee.
Ben Meir, who leads the regional development unit implementing the program, highlighted the global challenge farmers face in adopting new technologies and the program’s core insight: if farmers are included as active, central partners throughout the process - from identifying challenges to setting metrics and collecting data- the chance of finding suitable, usable technologies increases significantly
RegenUp demonstrates how applied research, cross-sector collaboration, and farmer leadership can strengthen food security, economic resilience, and sustainable agriculture for generations to come.