Multiple Steps in the Path to Carbon Footprint Reduction – Part 2

Optimizing Cultivation: Hishtil’s Eco-Friendly Actions for Water Conservation, Reduced Use of Chemicals, and Landscape Preservation

Hishtil supplies young plants to professional and home growers around the world. Its broad product range covers top-quality varieties of vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals, including an assortment of edible and ornamental plants tailored to the latest urban gardening trends.
Through operations in Israel, Europe, the USA, and Africa, over one billion young plants reach customers every year.
Hishtil’s modern horticultural vegetables and ornamental nurseries continuously develop unique propagation techniques and production protocols. Besides high yields and appearance, new premium lines of plants are also more resistant to infections and unfavorable weather conditions.

As a worldwide leading horticultural company, Hishtil sets an example for its customers in the agro-industry through its unwavering focus on becoming greener than ever (aiming for 100% Organic), free from chemical residues and using cutting-edge technology to improve the quality of food and preserve the environment. Sustainability is a goal it pursues at all levels.
Our previous article outlined the steps Hishtil took to find alternative lower-emission energy sources in its operations, a transition from printed media to online advertising, the introduction of a new eco-friendly catalog, and a shift to recyclable or reusable materials for transportation and packaging.
Below we bring to you some of the eco-friendly actions Hishtil has taken to optimize the use of water resources, limit the use of chemicals, and preserve the natural landscape, with significant results.

Water Treatment and Recycling
Important steps have been implemented regarding the usage and conservation of water throughout the nurseries’ production process.
For example, the use of a sub-irrigation system—flooding a table full of trays or pots, with a slight added improvement that allows the tables to move to and from the place where the water is filled and drained.

An automated sub-irrigation system in Ashkelon

Hishtil’s irrigation system helps to preserve the environment and resources by:
– Saving on water usage and nutrient consumption.
– Enhancing plant health and lowering the risk of diseases or disease outbreaks.
– Minimizing runoff below the tray and saving up to 60% of water.
– Reducing rinsing and pesticide application by about 50%.
– Reducing runoff to groundwater.
– Installing reverse osmosis systems combining a marble column, which contributes to chemical stabilization and homogeneity of the water.
In addition, at Hishtil, the water used in tray washing machines and planting robots is now recycled.
Furthermore, rainwater from the roofs of greenhouses is collected and stored for later use.

Reducing the Use of Pesticides
Large-scale agriculture is often responsible for releasing great quantities of pesticides into the environment. Hishtil makes continuous efforts to keep the use of harmful pesticides at a bare minimum.

Dehumidifier air dryer at Gderot Nursery

One of the major tools to reduce harmful pesticides and the risk of contamination is by improving the climate conditions in the greenhouses. This entails using improved, innovative fans, climate control systems and air dryers, to support the management of relative humidity in the air and thus reduce the risk of contamination. The company also invests in the development of new application techniques to reduce the amount of chemicals used, while continually introducing novel products considered to be less harmful to the environment. In addition, improved monitoring procedures help identify pathogens at an earlier stage and respond faster, preventing major infestations.

Biological pest control

Another way to reduce the use of pesticides is investing as much as possible in measures to avoid pathogen development. For example, watering plants with sub-irrigation devices reduces foliage wetness, which also lowers the risk of pathogen infestations. The use of air dryers, as mentioned before, help save energy by increasing the effectiveness of the heating devices.
Applying organic growth protocols together with the use of beneficial insects, is yet another step in reducing the use of pesticides. Hishtil’s proprietary organic vegetable grafted product line, helps minimize the use of soil disinfection chemicals because grafting plants are more tolerant to soil diseases.

Landscape Rehabilitation
Major infrastructure construction projects cause great damage to the existing vegetation around them. Hishtil is one of the leading companies in landscape rehabilitation, restoring it, as much as possible, to its original state.The rehabilitation process is carried out after careful planning and consideration of the natural wildlife typical to the area.

Landscape rehabilitation of a modern neighborhood

The rich greenery now lining the sides of the roads, incorporates covering systems to stop runoff, store water in the ground, and reduce evaporation.
With these and other measures related to energy savings and the use of renewable sources, the company has turned an ideological commitment to minimizing its carbon footprint into concrete actions with impactful results.
The proven ability of plants to absorb CO2 (and emit oxygen) helps counter the greenhouse effect on the atmosphere, creating a positive carbon footprint balance.

Hishtil is fully dedicated to the process of reducing its carbon footprint and acting as a beacon to inspire other industry partners to follow, for a greener future in agro production.
Interested in hearing more about how Hishtil has reduced its carbon footprint in other ways? Read our previous article.