The World Scientific Publishing (WSP) Family extends its deepest condolences to Dr. Michal Artzy and the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. Daniel Hillel, 2012 World Food Prize Laureate and WSP author, who passed away on March 9, 2021.
For his achievement that earned him the World Food Prize, Dr. Hillel proved that plants grown in continuously moist soil, achieved through micro-irrigation, produce higher yields than plants grown under flooding or sprinkler irrigation. Using less water in agriculture per unit of land not only conserves a scarce resource in arid and semi-arid regions, but also results in significantly “more crop per drop". Expanding on these scientific findings, Hillel went on to promote water-use efficiency in dozens of countries around the world, working for and with international agencies and organizations. Dr. Hillel was also a dedicated teacher who, through his signature textbooks, literally taught thousands of students the fundamentals (or as he would say, “Da Mental Fun") of soil and water processes.
At WASP , Daniel Hillel expertly guided the publication of five volumes of the Imperial College Press Series on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation. The flagship of the Series is the Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems, with volumes published in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Taken together, these volumes comprise a comprehensive compendium that anticipates the impacts of climate change on agriculture, presents cutting-edge research on how farming regions and systems can adjust to the climate extremes that are unavoidable, and determines how the food system can mitigate climate change so as to reduce its ultimate effects.
In 2015, Daniel Hillel published his memoirs with WSP, Memories and Reflections, sharing his lifelong passion for earth science and the stories behind his research breakthroughs. Chief among the latter is his role in conceiving and implementing micro-irrigation, the radically new mode of bringing water to crops in arid and dry land regions. Hillel’s pioneering scientific work in Israel revolutionized food production, first in the Middle East, and then in other regions around the world over the past five decades. His work laid the foundation for maximizing efficient water usage in agriculture, increasing crop yields, and minimizing environmental degradation.
Dr. Hillel’s scientific achievements were accompanied by his equal dedication to working with people across borders to help improve food security and sustainability for all. For example, his book, The Rivers of Eden, was dedicated to using science and the natural world as a force for peace in the Middle East. Daniel was fond of quoting great works such as the Bible, the Koran and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Here is a quote from his memoirs that shows his synergy with those great works: “Above all else, . . . I yearn for a peaceful, cooperative, and sustainable community of human life on earth, in harmony with nature, ensuring a habitable world for all of our descendants."
The next volume of the Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems, to be published in 2021, will be dedicated to Dr. Hillel. The dedication reads:
True Scientist, whose love of the Earth knew no bounds, and
Revered Colleague, Mentor, and Friend
Cynthia Rosenzweig
March 22, 2021