Co-operation

Implementation of  SIT is considered a public service which covers large areas over long periods of time, and requires appropriate regulation. The projects involved necessitate co-operation between government ministries, growers' organizations, and agricultural research & development institutes.

Bio-Fly co-operates with the following parties in implementing SIT projects in Israel:

Ministry of Agriculture's Plant Protection and Inspection Services (PPIS)

The Mediterranean fruit fly is considered a national problem for agriculture in Israel. The Ministry of Agriculture is directly involved in control activities through the PPIS – the body responsible for pest control under the Plant Protection Law.

The Pest Control Committee, appointed by the Minister of Agriculture sets the national program for fly eradication.

In recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture has set as its goal the gradual replacement of chemical pesticides with environmentally-friendly control methods. To combat the Medfly, implementation of an experimental biological control method was initiated, based on the SIT method.

The PPIS is a governmental body that receives technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency for advancement of SIT implementation in Israel. 

The Israel Cohen Institute for Biological Control – Citrus Board of the Plants Production and Marketing Board

The Institute for Biological Control is the body authorized by the PPIS to implement centralized Medfly control for the citrus branch. Within this framework, the Institute treats about 20,000 hectares  of citrus using chemical spraying, mainly by aircraft.

The Institute's fields of activities also include, in addition to chemical fly control, biological control of citrus pests and development of alternative methods for the control of the Medfly.

Bio-Fly and the Institute for Biological Control  collaborate on most of the projects currently aimed at suppressing the Medfly population in Israel, as well as in quality assurance processes executed on sterile flies. 

Israeli  Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC)

One of the goals of The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the promotion of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. SIT is a technology that utilizes radioactivity to sterilize insects, which is implemented in extensive regions, and therefore constitutes a platform for collaboration between neighboring countries. 

The Israeli Committee for Atomic Energy represents the State of Israel in its contacts with the IAEA  and is responsible for providing technical assistance to government bodies in Israel that are engaged in SIT implementation (PPIS).

The Agricultural Extension Service

The Ministry of Agriculture's Extension Service is engaged in providing growers in Israel with training and qualification services, as well as being involved in research and development of new technologies for implementation in the field. Among its other activities, the service encourages and supports the reduction in the use of pesticides, and advances biological control technologies that are environmentally friendly.

Bio-Fly maintains constant collaboration with the service's Plant Protection Branch, responsible for pest control, as well as with other departments in the service responsible for specific projects (Citrus department, Vegetable department, Orchard department, and others).  

Arava R&D

Arava produce constitutes about 60% of the fresh vegetables and 15% of the flowers grown in Israel. The Arava Research & Development unit is in charge of agricultural development in the region, including reducing the use of chemical pesticides and finding biological alternatives.

Since 1998, Arava R&D has been operating AMEP -  the joint Israel-Jordanian project that has been operating since the signing of the peace agreement with Jordan.

Bio-Fly supplies the project with sterile Medfly pupae.  

Northern R&D

Northern Research & Development is the body responsible for the advancement and development of agricultural in Israel's northern region, through development of new technologies and improvement of agricultural produce. One of the goals of Northern R&D is development and implementation of environment-friendly pest control, in response to the growing demand for less toxic fruit and vegetables.

Bio-Fly and Northern R&D have been collaborating in the northern SIT project, and it is within this framework that flies are dispersed to the north-east of the Sea of Galilee, in commercial mango, citrus, pomegranate, apricot and guava orchards.