About Us

The discipline of biotechnology employs living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, and develops techniques for altering living organisms for specific uses. It offers efficient and cost-effective methods for producing an array of novel products. Biotechnology is of particular value in dryland, where special innovations are necessary, as traditional or conventional methods of agriculture are difficult or impossible to implement.

Scientists in the Albert Katz Department of Dryland Biotechnologies use molecular tools to improve production in dryland. Our approach is based upon techniques that foster sustainable development of desert regions. Some of the biotechnologies developed in the Albert Katz Department have potential for increasing food production, reducing the dependence of agriculture on environmentally damaging chemicals, lowering the cost of raw materials, and reducing the ecological impact of traditional manufacturing processes.