The Havivian Farm, on the outskirts of Beit Shemesh, Israel, is truly a labor of love. It all started with Michal, a young chef, returning from her culinary studies in Paris in 2004 disenchanted with finding nothing but unappealing organic produce back in Israel. She set out on a search for quality locally grown fruits and vegetables readily available in those Parisian markets she got so accustomed to. In the process of searching she even found her future husband Boaz, a cutting edge Agronomist from a well established family of farmers. Boaz ventured into techniques of planting choice seeds on their barren farmland in Nocham, overviewing Beit Shemesh. At first their choice of location so close to Jerusalem rather than in the fertile South, Israel’s vegetable barn where 75% of Israel’s agriculture is cultivated, encountered skepticism. Against all odds their experiment turned out to be successful. Initially, the chief beneficiaries of this enterprise were their family and friends. Gradually, news of their delicious farm produce spread to the community at large with two centers in both Jerusalem and Ashkelon established and an online service all over Israel launched.

Boaz had been exposed to the ecological and health damage from the substances used in modern agriculture as a consequence of which he set out to be a trailblazer in the field. He recruited his entire family to revive their farm and apply novel techniques to grow organic vegetables. As of 2018 the Havivian farm is in the process of marking an upgrade to a biodynamic agriculture. Furthermore, their agricultural project involved the entire community through subscriptions. Rather than relying on purely commercial parameters it is the quality and the variety that is the decisive factor in production.

What makes Havivian’s agricultural enterprise so unique is not just the top quality of their produce but also the connection between the land and the people. Every week Boaz and Michal mix and mingle in their markets with the people they are growing their butternut squash or cucumbers for and get their feedback. I too had the opportunity to sample first hand  a crispy cucumber just plucked from the tree and a crunchy popcorn freshly picked from the ground. The vibrant colors were a feast for the eye. As a vegetarian who has savored organic vegetables throughout Europe and the U.S I could only vouch for the fact that this locally grown produce was by far superior.

Michal told me that as a doctor her father has always lauded the importance of healing through foods rather than medication: nature’s preventive medicine. Boaz and Michal view what they grow on their farm as healing all the more so during the current stressful times in Israel. All through the recent Iran War they worked their fields, delivered their produce at a great risk.One time as they set out to water the field an Iranian missile hit nearby. Another time the delivery to a building in the center of Israel could not take place as the entire building was destroyed by a rocket attack.

Havivian have not only created a substantial community of consumers for their local produce but have also recruited hundreds of foreign workers from Thailand and Africa and educated numerous agricultural students who have become goodwill ambassadors of Israel upon returning home.

On my visit to Nocham, overlooking Beit Shemesh, these two visionaries Boaz and Michal  reminded me of the famous lines from the 1989 classic movie “Field Of Dreams” when Ray the Iowa farmer hears a voice whisper; “If you build it, they will come”. The vision of a young couple converted a deserted terrain to a thriving farmland and came they did by the thousands.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)