The Arava International Center for Agriculture Training (AICAT) was established in Sapir, in 1994 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. Since then there have been more than 20,000 students who have studied with AICAT!
The centre trains annually over 1,000 students from various different Academic Institutes within 2 different programs:
The AICAT philosophy and programs are based on the principle of “Learning by Doing”. This winning combination of both practical training in advanced, modern farming, theoretical studies, professional guided tours, and life in the Arava communities provides the students with a rich and unique experience, unlike no other.
AICAT is based in the Middle Arava regional municipality and has close cooperation with the neighboring regional councils of Eilot and Tamar.
AICAT cooperates closely with The Yair Research and Development Center, which was established in 1986. This leading scientific research and development institute continues to aim for the advancement of sustainable methods of cultivation in arid regions, elevating product quality, discovering new crops, and developing new markets for them. This unique Center combines practical research in the fields of sustainable agriculture, water management, and aquaculture as well as providing critical knowledge to the local farming community of the Arava region as well as to countries around the world.
Throughout the duration of AICAT studies in Israel, the students visit the Yair Research and Development Centre various times in accordance with the different subjects they study. Also many of the researchers at the Yair Center lecture at AICAT.