"People can survive without a Vision or Mission; Companies can't. Kibbutz is a form of a company"
THE SINKING SHIP
On a starless, dark, stormy night, in the middle of the ocean, the ship that has carried you for ages breaks apart and begins sinking, making its way to the depths of the depths. Before you know it, you find yourself alone, lost in the vast ocean, scared and desperate, reaching out for anything that might float your way. The waves are high, the salt stings your eyes, and it’s too dark to see.
Hours pass with no sign of help, and hope fades. Panic sets in as you realize these could be your last moments; this is not how you imagined your life ending. Then, you feel something solid, strong, and firm touch you. Beneath your feet, a stable surface emerges, something to stand on and rest. Confidence returns, building from the inside out. You can't see or hear it, but deep inside, you know this object is your ticket out of this nightmare. You are saved; the ocean's fish will have to find another meal today.
My mother was an orphan, a Holocaust survivor, and a lifelong warrior for improving people’s lives. At the age of 15, she found herself, a child, fighting to survive the Nazi killing machine, staying alive one day at a time. She fled home in occupied Europe and arrived in Israel, poorer than the poorest smallholder I had ever met. A few years later, after Israel’s independence war, together with a group of other Holocaust orphans, she established the Kibbutz where I was born. My mother’s mission was to bring life and happiness while eliminating pain and suffering regardless of who you were (i.e., she never resented the German people). Seventy-two years later, on her deathbed, we sat on the big green lawn outside her home. She looked around, watching her beloved Kibbutz; her face glowed despite the cancer that was consuming her from the inside. "We," she said, "never thought it would be so good".
The Kibbutz was the stable ground under my mother's feet, her ticket to a better future. In 1948, she couldn't foresee success on the horizon, but she had an uncanny sense that the Kibbutz was the vehicle both the young nation and she needed to reach a safe shore.
What about smallholders trapped in the sinking vessels of traditional village structures? What is their solid ground, and when will they reach a safe shore? Can the Kibbutz concept help them as it did to my mother and thousands of homeless, poor Holocaust survivors?
SEEKING STABLE GROUND
The village organizational structure is designed to feed and protect the individuals who form it. It performed well for 12,000 years until modern times when additional demands emerged that required more than feeding and protecting. A vast financial unbridgeable chasm emerged, with growing expenses on one side and shrinking resources on the other.
History works in one direction; there is no going back, and there never was. Villagers in the 21st century can choose one of three options, which is actually one of two.
1. City (Ltd-era): Moving to the city involves joining a company or another form of the Ltd-era, where the company's well-being takes center stage. In urban areas, nearly all self-employed individuals operate within the Ltd framework, even if not registered as a Ltd company. Another viable option is to become an industrial agribusiness farmer (Ltd-era farmer), similar to those in developed economies, which, regardless of whether they live in the city or rural area, act under the Ltd-era concept.
2. Kibbutz or Kibbutz-like: Stay in the countryside while joining a socially oriented, Ltd-era-based community where workers are also owners. Unlike a company where the Human Resource (HR) department supports the business, in a Kibbutz, the business supports the individuals and the community. The Kibbutz bridges the Village-era and the Ltd-era, combining traditional communal values with modern economic principles.
3. Village: Remain in the village as is, keeping the individual well-being at the center of interest, but lacking a business engine to realize a change. This structure and its critical shortcomings are the very reality we seek to avoid.
As you can see, smallholders in developing economies have three options: (1) move to the city or become an industrial agro-business farmer, which is not a viable option for close to 99% of them, (2) shift to a Kibbutz model, which, at the moment is unavailable to them, or (3) remain impoverished in the village.
I hear leaders in developing countries asking for ways to keep the youth in rural areas. But why would these young people stay in villages that promise only poverty? Would you stay in a place that offers poverty for breakfast? Naturally, they do what any rational person would: leave the villages and move to urban centers.
Introducing the Kibbutz model to the limited options of village/poverty or city/prosperity is urgent and essential. It opens a new and potentially singular avenue, offering a promising path to a prosperous life in the countryside.
Life is about making choices and rarely adding alternatives. In the smallholders' case, they can choose to remain on the sinking boat, i.e., the village as it is now, or clutching to one form or another of the Ltd-era organizations: (a) the City/Company, or (b) the Kibbutz model, as my mother chose.
HOW GENERALITY OF THE KIBBUTZ MODEL
You might rightly say, "I like the idea of impoverished smallholders worldwide improving their lives as your mother and her friends did, but the Kibbutz model proved itself only in Israel by Israelis. How can I be sure it is not exclusively for Israelis?"
You are right; you can never be 100% sure, not before you try, practice, and adjust it to your local conditions, needs, and requirements.
At the same time, you already know this: without introducing changes of historical magnitude, farmers in villages in developing economies will continue to suffer in poverty or be forced to seek opportunities in the cities and corporate world.
The Kibbutz / Kibbutz-like alternative doesn’t exclude the Village or City/Company paths; instead, it adds an option and practically doubles the options for those wishing to avoid poverty.
On the same note, did someone ensure anyone else who came up with a novel model, concept, or technology would surely succeed? For example, the Industrial Revolution, the Ltd company, the assembly and production line, the airplane, the telephone, electricity, everyone's right to vote, and equality.
In fact, by reformulating the above question/statement as follows, we can reach more significant practical insights: How general are the Kibbutz model and core principles? This form of question leads us to focus on a higher level, that of models and principles, rather than on people and place.
We use models to simplify and understand complex systems, predict outcomes, and make facts-based decisions.
Some models are so general that we call them Universal Laws, i.e., the three laws of thermodynamics and E=mc2; others, like Ohm's Law (V=IR) or Boyle's Law (P1V1 = P2V2), have a minimal scope, e.g., voltage (V) across a conductor or pressure (P) of a given amount of gas.
The generality of a model is essential for assessing its reliability, trustworthiness, and predictability, especially in complex environments.
To evaluate the Kibbutz model's generality, we will summarize previous discussions, compare its similarities to the Ltd and Village models, and review relevant historical events. This multidimensional approach will help determine its applicability under varying conditions. Remember, the more general the model, the more we can trust that its successful outcomes can be replicated elsewhere when properly adjusted and applied.
REMEMBER OUR GOAL
Before we continue to study the extent of the Kibbutz model generality, remember why we have to ask this and our end game and goal.
This quest began by exploring why hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide suffer from poverty, under the assumption that they did not choose to remain impoverished. This investigation revealed that poverty and prosperity are on opposite ends of the same scale, leading us to seek a model that explains why some communities thrive while others decline.
Once we discovered the community success and prosperity principles, we examined and verified them in various communities, including smallholders in developing economies.
Next, we sought a field-proven community model that contains those principles to help us integrate smallholders into the 21st-century economy. This journey led us to focus on the Kibbutz model and question its general applicability and suitability for improving farmers' lives outside Israel, as it has done for Israeli farmers.
Now, it is time to examine the evidence and learn: Can the Kibbutz model be the pill of life and rejuvenation that impoverished rural communities have sought for ages?
- END OF PART 1 -
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Here are ways you can work with me to help your rural communities step forward to shift from poverty into ongoing prosperity:
* Nova Kibbutz and consultancy on rural communities' models.
* Local & National programs related to agro-produce export models - Dream Valley global vertical value and supply chain business model and concept connects (a) input suppliers with farmers in developing economies and (b) those farmers with consumers in premium markets.
* Crop protection: Biofeed, an eco-friendly zero-spray control technology and protocol solution, is most suitable for developing countries.
TAKEAWAY MESSAGES
Ø Rural poverty will persist without advanced organizational and production structures like the Kibbutz.
Ø The Kibbutz blends communal values with modern economics, creating a versatile model.
Ø Adopting the Kibbutz model can bridge traditional values and modern growth in rural communities.
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More on the October 7th genocide in South Israel:
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"Mental and Economic Freedom Are Interconnected."
See you soon,
Nimrod
Dr. Nimrod Israely is the CEO and Founder of Dream Valley and Biofeed companies and the Chairman and Co-founder of the IBMA conference. +972-54-2523425 (WhatsApp), or email nisraely@biofeed.co.il
P.S.
If you missed it, here is a link to last week's blog, “Why Ending Poverty Requires Moving Beyond Traditional Village Structures."
P.P.S.
OPEN BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES:
1) Exporting fresh fruits from Africa to the EU under the Dream Valley regenerative protocol brand for the 2024 season.
2) Joining the Nova-Kibbutz concept project or establishing a similar initiative in your region.
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P.P.P.S.
Dream Valley is a field-proven disruptive business model based on the successful Israeli Model.
*This article addresses general phenomena. The mention of a country/continent is used for illustration purposes only.
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