Yoav Sarig

Yoav Sarig (born July 27, 1937)[1] is an Israeli scientist, inventor and agricultural engineer. He is an expert in the field of mechanical harvesting of fruit, and is the holder of several patents for mechanical apparatus for the harvesting and processing of jojoba beans, pecan nuts and pomegranates.

Dr. Yoav Sarig

Biography

Early years and academic education

Sarig was born in Tel-Aviv.[2] He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Technion in 1962 and his master's degree from the Technion in 1972. Sarig was awarded his doctorate from Michigan State University in 1976.[3][4] The title of his doctoral thesis was Deformation analysis of foam-encapsulated apples under impact loading.

Research interests

Working for Israel's Volcani Centre, where he headed the Institute for Agricultural Engineering from 1985 to 1988, Sarig developed apparatus including a mechanical pollinator for Date Palms,[5] an apparatus for separating pomegranate seeds,[6][7] a mechanical cracker for Macadamia nuts and a machine for harvesting agricultural produce from the ground suitable for Pecan nuts and similar produce.[8] In later years, his interest turned to non-invasive methods for evaluation of agricultural produce - to assess a product's readiness for harvest or its ripeness without harming the fruit. He pioneered the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to evaluate the maturity of Avocado fruits, and the use of an "artificial nose" utilizing the olfactory response of fresh produce as a consumer-oriented and non-destructive quality evaluation method.[9] He also researched the use of mechanization and automation as an alternative to manual labor in agriculture, and published several articles on the topic,[10] which concluded that as long as cheap immigrant labor (some of it illegal) was available, there is little incentive for farmers to invest in labor-saving agricultural automation.[11]

China

When China in 1992 formally established diplomatic relations with Israel and an Israeli embassy was opened in Beijing, Sarig was appointed Science and Agriculture Counsellor,[12][13] a role he held for 4 years, from 1993 to 1997. There, Sarig proposed and oversaw the establishment of three major demonstration farms in China, which showcase Israeli agricultural technology, and several training centers which are supported by both the Chinese and Israeli ministries of agriculture. Sarig also realized the significance of conducting a variety of management courses in China, and instituted a program to deliver courses in business, marketing and business management.[14] In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the title "Honorary Professor" by China Agricultural University.[15]

Honors

In 2006, Sarig was awarded the Namir Prize for his work in developing the apparatus for the separation of pomegranate seeds, and the same apparatus also won the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)'s AE50 Award in 2007.[16]

In recognition of his professional achievements, Sarig was named an ASABE Fellow in 2010.[17]

Patents

Sarig was awarded several US patents. These included;

References
  1. Francis Hodgson (1985). Who's who in world agriculture. Longman. p. 973. ISBN 9780582901117.
  2. Yoav Sarig - Volcani Center
  3. COMMENCEMENT 1976 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
  4. "Biosystems Engineering" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2013.
  5. Development of a ground-operated mechanical pollinator for date palms
  6. Sarian, Zac (December 21, 2011). "Pomegranate "sheller" made in Israel". Manila Bulletin.
  7. Apparatus for separating pomegranate seeds
  8. Machine for harvesting agricultural produce
  9. Artificial Olfactory Sensing for Quality Evaluation of Fresh Produce
  10. "Alternatives to Immigrant Labor?". Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  11. "Productivity and immigration". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  12. Anson, Ofra (2005). Health Care in Rural China: Lessons from HeBei Province. Ashgate. p. xi.
  13. "COMING CRISIS - DECLINING GRAIN SUPPLIES AND A RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION THREATEN TO CREATE A HUNGRY WORLD FOR THE 21ST CENTURY". Roanoke Times. November 17, 1996.
  14. How Do You Say Business in Mandarin
  15. "Noticias de MASHAV". 2009-10-18. Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  16. ArilSystem Archived November 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ASABE NAMES NEW FELLOWS, Dec. 2, 2010
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