Partnership on Cultivating Dual Purpose Potatoes for Food and Biomass
To collaborate on the cultivation of potatoes for food and biomass (organic material that may be used as renewable energy), Intel Ignite Tel Aviv has chosen to work with RumaFeed, a startup firm founded at Yissum, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s technology transfer company.
The project is being held in Holit, a kibbutz in the Gaza region of southern Israel that has traditionally been supported by agriculture. Thirteen kibbutz members from Holit were killed in the October 7th assaults, which also caused significant damage to houses, infrastructure, and industrial capacity.
“Led by RumaFeed Chief Technology Officer Prof. Haim Rabinowich of Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, the company focuses on solutions to increase global food production, prioritizing environmental sustainability, and addressing nutritional security challenges. RumaFeed is re-envisioning how crops are utilized, especially those in the Solanaceae (nightshades) family. Although a significant portion of wheat, corn, and soy biomass are consumed, the same is not true for potato and tomato crops, since many plant parts are discarded due to the accumulation of toxic substances known as glycoalkaloids in the foliage,” according to a recent press release.
Through its initiative to stop the synthesis of glycoalkaloid, RumaFeed can turn potato leaves, which were previously thought to be biological waste, into a useful product that is superior to traditional fodder in terms of digestibility and nutritional value: animal fodder and silage. Potato leaves are more digestible than conventional fodder, and feeding trials have shown that they promote normal and even greater growth in animals than typical hay feed does.
“My journey with RumaFeed personnel and board, in partnership with Intel Ignite, embodies a commitment to redefining agricultural practices. The collaboration in Holit signifies more than a mere business venture; it constitutes a mission to convert waste into valuable resources, enhance crop yield, and bolster global food security,” Rabinowich says.
In 2019, Intel initiated the Intel Ignite acceleration initiative. The Intel Ignite accelerator program, which initially targeted deep tech businesses, has now spread to the United States, continental Europe, and England. The management of the initiative decided to expand it in response to the events of October 7th. They used their knowledge and skills to develop creative technical solutions that would aid in the western Negev region’s recovery from the recent assaults.
The difficult task of choosing the initiatives with the biggest effect fell to the Intel Ignite judging panel, which was made up of managers, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and specialists in agricultural innovation. Their goals were to increase crop productivity and quality, optimize farming methods, and expand the frontiers of Israeli and international agriculture.
“Global estimates suggest that integrating RumaFeed varieties could generate150-200m tons of high-quality feed, enabling more extensive production of human food and raw materials without compromising critical areas or natural values,” the above-mentioned experts concluded.
