Agricultural technology cooperation between Kazakhstan and Israel

Agricultural cooperation began early in the relationship

Kazakhstan and Israel signed their first dedicated agreement on agricultural cooperation in Jerusalem on 27 December 1995.

The document went well beyond a general commitment to exchange experience. It listed agricultural technologies, crop and livestock production, storage and processing, irrigation systems, dairy farming and sheep breeding, poultry farming, plant and animal protection, seed production, veterinary medicine, drinking water for rural areas, wastewater use, reclamation of saline soils, experimental training farms and joint ventures.

It provided for exchanges of specialists and a joint commission to prepare work plans and review results.

Drip irrigation, greenhouses and agronomist training have been discussed for decades. An intergovernmental framework for these areas was already in place in the 1990s.

A new agreement was signed in 2016

The parties signed a new agricultural cooperation agreement in Astana on 14 December 2016. Kazakhstan approved it in April 2017, but it entered into force only on 24 May 2021.

The new document retained a broad agricultural agenda while specifying its areas of cooperation. These included crop and livestock production, veterinary medicine, plant protection and quarantine, agricultural science and knowledge exchange, processing, water-saving technologies, aquaculture and specialist training.

The methods included sharing research and knowledge, technical assistance, internships and training, participation in exhibitions and conferences, and encouragement of private investment. The agreement specifically assigned MASHAV responsibility for the training it envisaged.

The legal chronology distinguishes signature from entry into force. Signed in 2016, the agreement became effective on 24 May 2021.

A MASHAV course for Kazakhstani agricultural specialists

Specialist training has its own record of practical activity.

In August 2021, agricultural specialists from North Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions completed a two-week MASHAV course, “Advanced Irrigation and Plant Protection Technologies for Professionals from Kazakhstan”.

The programme covered pressurised irrigation, pest control, irrigation water treatment, drip irrigation, greenhouse design, and the growing, storage and processing of agricultural produce.

MASHAV’s overall participant figure covers several sectors. Kazakhstan’s embassy reports that more than 300 Kazakhstani specialists have trained in Israel with the agency’s support since 1993. That total includes agriculture, medicine, education, journalism, small business and water resource management. It does not mean more than 300 agricultural specialists.

A dedicated irrigation demonstration centre in Ushkonyr

One concrete institutional outcome of agricultural cooperation is the Israeli–Kazakhstani Irrigation Demonstration Centre in Ushkonyr, Almaty Region.

MASHAV describes it as the first centre of its kind in Central Asia. It demonstrates Israeli irrigation technologies adapted to local conditions, shows ways to use water and fertilisers efficiently, and supports agricultural and agricultural technology initiatives.

Kazakhstani reports dated the centre’s launch to May 2015 and linked the MASHAV project to KazAgroInnovation.

A specific demonstration facility was established in Ushkonyr, with named participants and a defined purpose. Its existence, however, does not establish widespread adoption of every technology shown there across Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector.

Israeli irrigation systems were used in Kazakhstan

There is evidence of practical use of Israeli equipment beyond diplomatic reporting.

Published studies by the Kazakh Research Institute of Potato and Vegetable Growing describe field trials of Naan Dan Jain systems in southeastern Kazakhstan, including drip and sprinkler irrigation of vegetable crops.

Israeli irrigation equipment was used in Kazakhstani field research. Cooperation thus extended beyond exhibitions and negotiations.

Equipment used on a research plot does not establish its adoption by a particular commercial farm. That requires information about the farm itself.

Official records include completed commercial agricultural projects

A Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry overview reflecting the position in 2019 listed two agricultural ventures among successfully completed joint projects.

In 2009, Israel’s M.A.D. Corporation participated in the construction of a turkey farming and meat processing complex in South Kazakhstan with a design capacity of 10,000 tonnes. In 2010, Agropro Ltd. built two vegetable greenhouses in Astana with a combined area of about 3 hectares.

These are documented historical examples of project implementation. The wording of a 2019 source does not establish that the same enterprises continue to operate unchanged in 2026.

The source confirms that the projects were implemented. Their current condition has not been established separately.

Sources link Netafim to specific facilities in Kazakhstan

Netafim is one of the best-known Israeli companies in the history of drip irrigation worldwide. It appears repeatedly in accounts of Kazakhstan–Israel cooperation.

Kazakhstan’s official 2019 overview reported that Netafim, Naan Dan Jain Irrigation and other companies had carried out projects in Kazakhstan involving drip irrigation, livestock farming, poultry farming and horticulture.

At a meeting in Kibbutz Magal in December 2022, Netafim representatives expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan and in joint greenhouse construction and aquaculture projects. Business missions to Kazakhstan’s regions were planned for 2023.

These two sources do not establish a continuous history of any particular facility. The first records projects as of 2019. The second describes renewed interest and plans at the end of 2022.

A claim that Netafim is involved in a particular greenhouse, farm or agricultural enterprise today requires a source about that facility.

Netafim’s role in the EcoInvest project

Netafim’s case study explicitly identifies EcoInvest as its greenhouse project in Kazakhstan and describes design, irrigation and support. The connection is confirmed by a participant’s account. 1

The regional administration identifies the investment as Polish. That is compatible with the involvement of a technology supplier. Performance figures in the corporate case study are not presented here as an independent assessment. 2

Reports about Agrigo describe interest and negotiations

In 2022, KAZAKH INVEST hosted a delegation that included Israel’s Agrigo.

The company expressed interest in acting as developer and co-investor in sunflower oil processing, salmon farming, a pig farm and biofertiliser production.

The source records interest in participating. It does not establish that all these projects were financed and built.

Agrigo’s own portfolio lists a presence in Kazakhstan and a recirculating sturgeon farming system project in Atyrau. This is a supplier’s description rather than an official commissioning record. The portfolio alone does not establish the full set of participants, the start of operations or the facility’s current condition.

In 2025, discussions focused on technology, science and markets

On 12 June 2025, Kazakhstan’s ambassador Daulet Yemberdiyev met Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Avi Dichter.

They discussed crop and livestock production, veterinary medicine, agricultural science, efficient water-use technologies and specialist training. Drip irrigation and modern agricultural technologies received particular attention.

The parties also considered scientific cooperation with Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Institute, and online contacts involving Kazakhstani ministries and research institutions.

The Israeli side expressed interest in importing Kazakhstani wheat and bran and a willingness to host a Kazakhstani delegation to assess these initiatives further.

At the date of the report, these were topics under discussion. They did not amount to a signed grain supply contract or an operating joint research project with Volcani.

Discussions with Volcani

The Volcani Institute is Israel’s governmental Agricultural Research Organization, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Its research covers crops, soil, water and the environment, livestock, plant protection, postharvest treatment and agricultural engineering.

This helps explain Kazakhstan’s interest. The bilateral source from 2025, however, reports consideration of opportunities for cooperation.

According to the meeting report, cooperation with Volcani was being explored. A subsequent stage would require separate information about a joint programme, study, publication or exchange.

Agricultural technology remained a priority in January 2026

During Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Astana on 27 January 2026, high-tech agriculture was again named a priority for business contacts.

At the Kazakhstan–Israel business forum, agricultural technologies and the agro-industrial sector were discussed alongside water, digital technologies, infrastructure and other sectors.

The three commercial documents signed after the forum concerned water and municipal infrastructure, a bitumen plant and renewable energy. The published closing list contained no separate signed agricultural project.

Agriculture was part of the negotiation and investment agenda. The forum itself does not establish that a new agricultural project was implemented.

Food exports are a separate area of cooperation

In recent years, the parties have periodically discussed access for Kazakhstani agricultural products to the Israeli market.

In 2022, the Kazakhstani side reported work on grain supplies to Israel. In June 2025, the Israeli side expressed interest in wheat and bran.

These reports concern trade opportunities and market negotiations. They do not automatically establish completed exports at the proposed volumes.

Market-access negotiations do not confirm actual exports. Shipment volumes are established from trade statistics; fulfilment of a particular contract is checked against information about dispatched consignments.

Agriculture and water share technologies and have distinct scopes

Drip irrigation, irrigation systems and water reuse belong to both agricultural technology and water resource management.

Water cooperation covers reservoirs, canals, metering, treatment, municipal infrastructure and shortage management. Agricultural cooperation concerns fields, farms, greenhouses, livestock, aquaculture, yields, plant protection and specialist training.

The same supplier may participate in both areas. Its name alone does not establish a connection to a particular facility.

Documented practical outcomes

As of 22 September 2026, several types of outcome can be identified with confidence.

Treaty framework. There is the 1995 agreement and the new agreement signed in 2016, which entered into force on 24 May 2021.

Specialist training. Specific MASHAV courses for Kazakhstani agricultural specialists are documented, including the 2021 irrigation and plant protection programme.

Demonstration infrastructure. The Israeli–Kazakhstani Irrigation Demonstration Centre was established in Ushkonyr.

Historically completed commercial projects. Kazakhstan’s official overview lists the 2009 turkey farming and processing complex and Agropro’s two vegetable greenhouses from 2010.

Practical use of technology. Scientific publications confirm the use of Naan Dan Jain equipment in Kazakhstani irrigation field research.

In brief

• 27 December 1995. Kazakhstan and Israel signed their first detailed agricultural cooperation agreement, covering irrigation, livestock farming, seed production and processing.
• May 2015. The Israeli–Kazakhstani Irrigation Demonstration Centre was established in Ushkonyr, Almaty Region.
• 14 December 2016 and 24 May 2021. The new agricultural agreement was signed on the first date and entered into force on the second. It included water conservation, aquaculture, science and training, with MASHAV assigned a role in training.
• August 2021. Agricultural specialists from North Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions completed a two-week MASHAV course on irrigation, plant protection, greenhouses and handling produce.
• Historical commercial projects. An official source lists M.A.D. Corporation’s turkey complex, built in 2009, and two Agropro greenhouses opened in Astana in 2010 as implemented projects.
• The position in 2019. An official overview reported Netafim and Naan Dan Jain projects in Kazakhstan. These historical accounts do not establish that the projects are operating today.
• December 2022. Netafim expressed interest in new greenhouse and aquaculture projects. This was a statement of intent rather than evidence of facilities entering operation.
• 12 June 2025. The parties discussed drip irrigation, agricultural science, possible cooperation with the Volcani Institute, and Israeli interest in Kazakhstani wheat and bran.
• 27 January 2026. High-tech agriculture featured on the business forum’s agenda. None of the three published commercial documents concerned a separate agricultural project.