Our Team

Our multidisciplinary team members have extensive experience in numerous international development and privately owned high-value agricultural projects in Israel and around the globe, spanning from Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia to Australia. We integrate project implementation and management capabilities with high-level expertise in long-term planning, knowledge transfer, train-the-trainer methodologies, consultation at all levels, practical science-based research, and agricultural value-chain analyses.  

Efrat is the founder and CEO of Eco Strategies. She is an organizational psychologist and a biologist with a global outlook and a love for multidisciplinary projects. 

Efrat's expertise includes the initiation and management of projects in international development and in the research of the effective management of intercultural interfaces between individuals, teams, and organizations. She is an expert on the strategic and operational effectiveness of multinational security coalitions and peace operations, team leadership, and the interfaces between sustainable agriculture and forestry.  

In her previous positions, she served as a faculty member at the Hebrew University School of Business Administration, a Senior Research Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome and the International Peace Institute in New York, a research fellow at the Centre of Global Workforce Strategy at Simon Fraser University, the CEO of Middle East Trails, the project evaluator for the Israeli branch of the Society for International Development, and the head of the International Cooperation Team at the Israeli Regional Initiative - an organization that engaged in the promotion of a strategic Israeli-Arab regional agreement. 

Efrat led and co-led a large-scale multi-country study of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon, an EU CIMIC (Civil-Military Cooperation) project in Nigeria, and a US Department of Defense study on learning and innovation cycles in operational military units in the US military and the Israeli Defense Forces. Dr. Elron continues to serve as a consultant in her areas of expertise to multiple organizations, including the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the MFO (Multinational Force and Observers) mission in the Sinai, Elta, and the Israeli Aerospace Industries.

Dr. Elron earned her B.Sc. in Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology at the University of Maryland. She is a certified group facilitator, mediator, and permaculture designer who traveled to more than 60 countries. Her personal passions include diving, hiking, reading, and excellent art in all its forms.

Moti is a senior researcher at the Southern Arava R&D (a regional center specializing in desert agriculture and part of the Ministry of Agriculture) and an advisor to agricultural projects worldwide. His expertise includes off-seasonal production for export and year-round production for internal markets, irrigation and climate-smart technologies, plant extraction and natural food additives, commercializing medicinal plants, the development of evergreen pomegranate varieties and majdul dates, and the development of pearl millet varieties for arid zones.

Currently, Moti is working with pomegranate farms in India, Sicily, and Mexico, takes part in agricultural planning for the state of Meghalaya in India, and serves as a consultant to agricultural export projects in Sri Lanka. Projects Moti managed and took part in previously include the design and implementation of a demonstration farm and training curriculum for small-scale farmers in the desert of Turkana, Keyna, post-earthquake rehabilitation and upgrading of agriculture in Haiti, agricultural development in Karnataka for Tibetan refugees, Israeli technology transfer of pressure irrigation for desert agriculture in Rajasthan, the upgrade of date production in India's Kutch region, and the rehabilitation of degraded natural and agricultural areas in Mexico.

In his previous position as Chief Agronomist at Project International he was responsible for planning and implementing high-quality vegetable projects in Australia, China, Japan, and Venezuela. Other countries he worked for in planning and implementing agricultural development projects include Mali, Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Peru, Thailand, and Ukraine.

Moti is the recipient of the Hanover Expo 2000 award for the development of "Land Shaping in India & Thailand", a project supported by the World Bank. He is the author and co-author of over 60 publications in professional journals, holding an M.Sc. from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a member of Kibbutz Yotvata in the Arava region.

Idan is an agronomist specializing in agroecology and the design and implementation of Community Supported Agriculture Systems (CSAs) that produce a wide variety of high-quality crops. He is the lead agronomist of Eco Strategies' demonstration and training farm, where he teaches the cornerstone 6 months course on Ecological Farming and various short workshops. 

Idan has been teaching basic and advanced Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) since 2011 to local and international groups at Hava and Adam Ecological Educational farm. He is the head of the Israeli Permaculture Organization, a member of the "Outdoor Learning Spaces" team responsible for integrating food forests with educational spaces in schools, and a consultant to farmers and organizations on the redesign of their operations into commercial and communal enterprises based on synergy, efficiency, and sustainability. 

Formerly Idan served as the manager of the agriculture sector in Hava and Adam. He received his B.Sc. in agronomy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is expected to receive his M.Sc. in Agroecology by the end of 2022.

Miriam is an expert in plant protection, phytopathology, and entomology, currently leading the Northern Israel Integrated Pest Management Project.  In her previous positions, she served as the lead auditor for field agriculture under BQVI Israel, the SIT operations manager at BioBee (a company specializing in biological pest management), manager of the Fruit Trees Gene Bank & Nurseries, the scientific editor of "Alon Hanotea" (the Israeli Fruit Growers Association monthly publication), and a high school teacher. In Jordan, she co-led a SIT regional citrus growing project, and in Ghana she was part of a team establishing and training the laboratory staff responsible for the upgrade of ornamental and forest trees. With Mashav (the Israeli International Development Aid Agency) she conducted professional training on pest management in Vietnam, India, Kenya, Bosnia-Herzogovina, and China. 

Miriam received her PhD and BSc from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University and her MSc from the Biology Department at Tel Aviv University. Following her post-doctoral training in the Botany Departments of the University of Bristol and the University of California at Riversdale, she received diplomas in the management of business enterprises, quality management, organic agriculture, and internal and external auditing.

Rami is an expert in the implementation of ecological, climate-smart, and energy-saving water technology and irrigation projects. His experience includes the setting up of water infrastructures in agricultural projects in Angola, Congo, Chad, and Papua New Guinea. In 2015-2016 he managed a 17,000-acre farm in Ghana owned by the Arima Group. His responsibilities included the management of a team of international and local experts, the upgrade of existing agriculture and water systems, and the creation of a specialized training program for local employees.

Rami is a graduate of a 2-year course in creative landscaping, and a member of Kibutz Tzora, located in the Jerusalem mountains. His previous positions include the management of the water systems & resources plant of the Kibbutz and serving as the Chairman of the kibbutz Planning Committee. Currently, he is heading the Kibbutz' large-scale ecological landscaping and gardening projects.

Keren has been working in the International Development field for over 20 years.  She has extensive experience in project management, monitoring & evaluation, communication for development, participatory methodologies, and creating and delivering training workshops. The organizations she worked for include the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), FAO, UN Women, the International Labour Organization, Soros Media Centre, and the UK Metropolitan Police. The projects Keren managed were located in Africa, Latin America, and Europe, and focused on the issues of climate change, food security, conflict mediation, people living with HIV and AIDS, and women empowerment.

Keren received her BA in Political Sciences, Journalism, and Mediation Studies with honors from Brandies University, and her MPhil in Development Studies from Sussex University. Her fluency in English, Spanish and Portuguese has assisted her in effectively leading culturally diverse teams and collaborations across the globe.

Juan has more than 20 years in managing date palm farms using cutting-edge technologies and growing techniques. He is the principal advisor to SAHAM Agri corporation on the set-up and business planning of a 2000 hectare Mejdool date palm farm in Morocco, the largest in the world. His work includes the capacity development of the management and professional teams, cooperation with local institutions, and field trips to Israel. 

Previously, Juan managed Kibbutz Grofit’s date palm farm in the Arava región, served as the director of the South Arava Date Palm Growers Association, and was the agricultural advisor to the Colombian Embassy in Tel Aviv, strengthening the cooperation between Israeli and Colombian agro-businesses. Juan studied Civil Engineering at  Colombia's E.I.A. (Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia) before immigrating to Israel.

Nissim is an agronomist with an extensive experience in the initiation, planning, and management of agricultural commercial and R&D projects, including projects aimed at small-scale farmers. His main areas of expertise include protected high value crops production and advanced irrigation and fertilization methods.

For the last 12 years Nissim has been working as an expert with Mashav and CINADCO  (Israel's Ministry of Agriculture' Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation). Positions he held previously include Director of R&D and knowledge management at G.A.R International AG (A global company developing alternative energy sources from plants), Director of Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs at SPO Medical Equipment Ltd., and as CEO of Friendly Fung Ltd, a start-up specializing in friendly biological pest control products.

In Ben Gurion University Nissim served as the Director of International Agriculture projects at the Applied Research Institute, and as a Research Team Leader in the University’s Institute of the Gaza Strip and Sinai, developing irrigation methodologies, fertilization methods and best practices on growing vegetables in greenhouses on sand dunes. Countries he worked in include Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Morocco, a Native American reservation in the US, and China.

Nissim holds a MS. degree in Geography and Environmental Development from Ben Gurion University and a BSc in Agronomy from the Hebrew University. He recently completed his second MSc in Winery and Vineyards Science at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture. He owns and manages an agroecological vineyard and its boutique winery in the semi-arid Northern Negev region.

When not at work, Nissim’s loves hiking, mountain climbing and photography.

Gideon's experience as an irrigation expert spans over 40 years and covers numerous facets of irrigation technologies and implementation: drip irrigation technologies in different climates, scientific and practical models for surface irrigation design and operation, and control and automation of pressurized irrigation systems.

Gideon held research and teaching position at Cambridge University, Colorado State University, the National Agricultural University of Mexico, the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology), and the Department of Agriculture at the Hebrew University. As a consultant he worked for the World Bank, Nippon Koei, Co., Motorola, Bermad, and Dan Sprinklers, He participated in the development, design, and operation of irrigation systems and capacity development projects in India, Spain, USA, Nepal, South Africa, Chad, Kenya, Mexico and Egypt.

Dr. Peri received his BSc, MSc and PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the Technion.

Raz is the founder of TreKit, an organization specializing in the development of community trails in Israel, and an advisor on regional, desert, and eco-tourism projects to governmental organizations, municipalities, NGOs, and private businesses.

Ras was the General Director of Ramat HaNegev Tourism & Partnerships Department until 2014. In addition to being responsible for the planning, organizing, and marketing of all tourist-related activities, Raz was the coordinator for the Partnership 2000 between Ramat Negev and the Jewish Federations of Denver, Las Vegas, Palm Springs. In previous positions, Raz served as the General Director of Har HaNegev Tourist Non-Profit Association, the Director of Sde Boker Field Study Center where he initiated a series of local innovative nature-based projects and the Assistant Manager of Marketing for the Israeli Society for the Protection of Nature where he coordinated and produced events promoting nature protection and hiking on Israel's trails. Between 2007 and 2009 he was the Jewish Agency representative in Colorado. 

Raz is a certified tour guide who still practices his vocation with international delegations. He received accreditation in Regional Tourism Management from Rupin College and has a diploma in Strategic Administration from the program for directors of non-profit organizations conducted jointly by Ben-Gurion University and Haifa University.

Avi is one of Israel’s leading fruit growers and the owner of two direct agricultural produce marketing enterprises and a 50-hectare pomegranate farm in South Africa.

Following the completion of his Agricultural Engineering degree at the Technion (the Israeli Institute of Technology), Avi worked in the U.S. for several companies: at Armstrong Brothers Tools he was responsible for increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing line, at Abdick Offset Printing he served as the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, and at First Alert he was the deputy manager of the manufacturing plant.

Upon returning to Israel, Avi co-managed his family’s farm in Givat Ada, and turned 10 hectares of fruit orchards and vineyards into a thriving business, exporting to Europe and the U.S., and leading the way in the innovation of cultivation and harvesting technologies and techniques.

The farm Avi established in South Africa with local partners exports pomegranates to Europe. As part of the process, he empowers local farmers to become experts in growing the fruit.

Nadav's expertise is in integrating regenerative agriculture, ecological design, and agroforestry into sustainable development. projects.

In 2018, Nadav co-led a project with Rosemary Morrow ('Permaculture for Refugees') and the NGO Together for Better Days on the Greek island of Lesvos. Since then Nadav had worked in Puerto Rico and Eastern Europe on projects of community empowerment via environmentally-friendly local food production.

Nadav holds an MA in Ecological Design Thinking from Schumacher College, Plymouth University.

Kathleen\'s intership with Eco Strategies is part of her M.A. program in Emergency and Disaster Management at Tel Aviv University.

Her professional experience includes working with recovery initiatives in Mississippi and Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and holding a position as the Senior Editor and Project Researcher for a prominent technology research firm in Boston. In the past five years, she managed small independent businesses within the tourism and food-service industries in the United States and North Africa. As a volunteer in NGOs in Central America, North Africa, and Eastern Europe Kathleen focused on humanitarian relief efforts and faith-based ministries outreach.

Kathleen completed her M.A in Biblical Theology from Redeemer Seminary in Dallas and received her B.A. in International Business at North Greenville University.