"For consistent success, we must have theories, laws, and principles, while for consistent failure, nothing but arrogance is required”.
I repeatedly hear, "Yes, the Kibbutz model works well for you in Israel, but in my country, the people and conditions are not the same; it will never work here".
PATTERNS VS. THEORIES
Those who declare things in this spirit seem to misunderstand me as if I were saying that the kibbutz model can work in developing countries and lead to achievements similar to those of the Kibbutz in Israel because "We are similar".
This explains statements in the spirit of "We are not similar."
Why are people interested in similarity, and is it even the critical question we should ask?
Maybe it is because people assume that if we are similar, the same, then it makes sense to “copy” the Kibbutz model to developing countries, and if we are not the same, it doesn’t make sense.
This implies that those people tend to predict the future success of projects based on “similarity” or, in general terms, based on patterns.
However, since every community, including rural ones, is unique, attempting to predict the success of shifting communities from poverty to prosperity based on such characteristics is not a good idea.
Furthermore, the pattern method is notoriously known as unreliable, and hence, using it to predict the outcome of a project that aims to create prosperity, as the rural communities in Israel, i.e., Kibbutz, created and experienced, is futile.
So why do I confidently advocate using the Kibbutz principles to shift rural communities in developing economies from poverty to prosperity?
To understand my confidence, we must explore the world of theories, particularly those that predict the future with high (e.g., 100%) accuracy, such as the universal (natural) law of physics.
Simply put, when we use a well-founded set of theories, laws, and principles, we can accurately predict the outcome of our actions.
That is why I use established theories, laws, and principles to predict the success rate of projects, particularly outstanding projects such as the Nova-Kibbutz.
When you finish reading this column, you will understand why patterns (represented by differences/similarities between communities) are irrelevant in predicting the future success of projects based on the Kibbutz principles.
This column underscores the global applicability of Kibbutz principles in alleviating rural poverty.
THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL OF SCIENCE
Many people confuse the word "theory" with “impractical”.
However, theories, especially those based on natural universal laws, are the most successful proven methods of predicting futures.
For example, the law of gravity enables accurate prediction of the characteristics of the fall of any object anywhere in the universe.
This is the strength of using theories, laws, and principles, and why we must develop a set of theories that explain rural communities' poverty.
Such an understanding can guide us safely in our journey “from poverty to prosperity”.
Without a strong foundation of theories, laws, and principles, together with real-life experience, we will continue chasing prosperity, like blinds looking for light, for many more years.
THEORIES; PREREQUISITE OF A RAPID CHANGE
We can learn from other fields how successful theories were used to develop laws and principles, which enabled the development of products and services and then execute projects that transformed human history, i.e., the development of the steam engine, reaching the moon, vaccinations, etc.
Successful sets of theories, laws, and principles enable swift scale-up from a humble local beginning to a national or global transformative scale.
There are many theories, and not surprisingly, many of which are incorrect or used in the wrong context.
Repeated failure to perform the required task indicates a problem with the theory.
For example, our inability to solve the problem of poverty among rural communities, or at least alleviate it significantly, is a sign that we are not using the correct theory, tools, or means to solve that problem.
Using an incorrect theory can last decades and even millennia and cause plenty of human suffering.
For example, humans have dreamed of flying like birds for 40 thousand years and repeatedly failed.
But then, in 1678, Isaac Newton published the Third Law of Motion, and 60 years later, in 1738, Daniel Bernoulli published his work "Hydrodynamica", from which we gained the Bernoulli Principle.
Although Newton's Third Law and Bernoulli Principle were not developed to advance aviation, in 1903, the Wright Brothers successfully flew the first powered airplane.
In a heartbeat, the Wright Brothers ended 40 thousand years of human frustration and failed efforts to reach the heavens, all thanks to scientific Theories, Laws, and principles.
The Wright brothers did not need to reach the stars; their historical role was to show how specific scientific theories and laws could be harnessed to create a flying machine.
When people realized it was possible to have flying machines, they began using the same principles to build better-flying machines, and finally, 66 years later, men landed on the moon.
One more relevant lesson is that using the same principles to build better-flying machines is possible, even without fully understanding the theories and laws that led to those principles.
After the Wright Brothers' successful flight, no one said, “Only wood-made airplanes can fly”. Why should we assume the Kibbutz model is limited to Israel?
THE UPSIDE OF PRINCIPLES
My grandparents, from my father's side, didn't know or learn about the scientific theories and laws that enabled the establishment of a prosperous Kibbutz in 1915 when they joined it.
My grandparents and their friends followed certain principles and procedures, and like a backing cake using a recipe, their Kibbutz came up perfect and thrived.
My mother participated in establishing (1948) the Kibbutz where I was born; in 1983, I helped establish a new Kibbutz, and in 1987, my brother took part in establishing a Kibbutz.
None of us ever learned the scientific theories and laws that enabled us to establish prosperous communities.
Instead, for the community to prosper, it only had to follow “the recipe” principles.
Applying principles is so cost-efficient that hundreds of rural communities were established this way in Israel, and they all became successful.
However, when principles are applied based on “wrong” theories and laws, the outcome is catastrophic and may lead to persistent poverty.
GLOBAL OR LOCAL PHENOMENON?
We must have credible theories, laws, and principles to swiftly and efficiently transform millions of impoverished farmers from poverty to prosperity.
But what if we already have credible theories, laws, and principles to establish prosperous rural communities?
Unlike the Wright Brothers, who were unsure if the theories, laws, and principles they use will lead them to the desired result (i.e., a flying machine), in the case of rural communities, we have the principles that lead to the result we want (i.e., prosperous community) and plenty of examples for such communities (i.e., Kibbutz).
Yet, people don't apply the Kibbutz principles to geographies outside Israel, for they are unsure what the exact principles are and whether they are general (i.e., global) or merely a local Israeli phenomenon.
By circumstantial evidence, we can prove that the principles used in Israel by my grandparents, parents, brother, and me are global and not local.
For example, if 100% of the communities suffer poverty, and by changing the principles on which those communities operate, we shift 100% of them to prosperity.
Shifting 100% of the communities from poverty to prosperity (as done in the pre-Israel era) is strong circumstantial evidence.
Still, it may also reflect a pattern related to specific conditions, meaning those principles yield different results outside Israel.
But then there is the ultimate and best way to prove that principles are global and not local.
This is done by cracking and understanding the mechanisms, laws, and principles that govern and are responsible for the success of the Kibbutz model.
It is by cracking down and understanding the underlying mechanism, laws, and principles responsible for the Kibbutz model's Success.
We can achieve that goal by “reverse engineering” the Kibbutz model to trace the scientific theories, laws, and principles that make it successful.
Once we trace those, we can see if they align with or are the same as those used to transform the pre-Israeli rural communities from poverty to prosperity.
This issue was thoroughly discussed in previous columns, so I skip directly to the highlights. You can find more information in my blog, particularly in the columns from 22.10.2023 to 30.12.2023.
One law explains the Success of the Israeli Kibbutz and Moshav phenomena better than any other, and that is the law I call The Law of Collaboration and Cooperation (in short, The Law of Collaboration).
This law presents a direct connection between the result, the Kibbutz success (i.e., Success in its broadest sense, as described by Dr. Adizes), and the cause of that Success, which is the level of collaboration practiced within and between communities.
The exciting part about the Law of Collaboration is that it reflects the Second Law of Thermodynamics (SLT), a natural universal law of physics, and the Law of Success, which relates to organization management.
Since those two laws are already proven universal/global, we do not need to prove that the Law of Collaboration is global.
The Law of Collaboration explains why all rural communities in the promised land suffered poverty until 1910 (i.e., the first Kibbutz) and the change in the success trajectory from that year onward.
We hence conclude that the roots of the Kibbutz's Success are traced back to a natural universal Law, the Second Law of Thermodynamics (reflected in Dr. Adizes's Law of Success), which means that the Kibbutz model (based on the Law of Collaboration) is universal.
In short, since the Kibbutz's leading principles are based on universal law, we can apply them anywhere and get the same results.
Note. Applying principles to places outside Israel means we do not copy the Israeli Kibbutz as is, but only its principles. Thanks to this, we keep the flexibility of tailoring a solution per community (as has always been done in Israel).
Just like in aerodynamics, you can predict with complete confidence the result when designing a flying machine based on Newton's Third Law of Motion, the Bernoulli Principle; we can be as confident about the outcome when we establish rural communities based on the Law of Collaboration and its Principles, as practiced in the Israeli Kibbutzim for over a century.
The next column will be a continuum of this. It will focus on youth and present a situation where, against all odds, rural communities, which are under the same conditions and fail elsewhere, thrive thanks to the Law of Collaboration and its principles, which have been successfully practiced for decades.
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Here are four ways you can work with me to help your rural communities step forward to shift from poverty into ongoing prosperity:
* Consultancy on rural communities' models: Why, What, and How, e.g., based on the Kibbutz and Moshav lifestyle 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.
* IBMA Conference - To learn, share, and practice novel business models: the IBMA 2025 conference theme is “Reshaping Agribusiness Models for Building Prosperous Rural Communities." Register now or contact me.
TAKEAWAY MESSAGES
Ø A theory is not impractical, but it is a reliable way of predicting the future based mainly on universal laws.
Ø Reliable theories, Laws, and principles are mandatory for solving SDG #1 (No Poverty).
Ø The Kibbutz model is based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which is reflected in the Law of Collaboration, making it universal.
Ø Principles for driving change are like recipes for cooking; you can reach the desired result without understanding underlying theories and laws.
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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, “Is Gender Equality The Fast Track For Rural Communities' Prosperity?”
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.
Kindly provide your background and credentials to receive tailored next-step instructions.
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.