It took me 2 minutes to realise that Kibbutz Yodvata is not your regular kibbutz, usually associated with green lawns and orange trees. Located about 80 kilometers north of the port of Eilat, it is surrounded by the dust and the sand of the Negev desert. And yet this is a wonderful place for farming!

First our guide showed us the pomela and pomegranate crops, cultivated using desalinated water brought up from the Eilat coastline. Neat, and these fruits are now lucratively grown out of season.

At the back of the kibbutz, we drove by the border with Jordan. We saw a locked gate and on the other side a lightly armed Hashemite presence. It seems that the soldier was waiting to escort an Israeli team to teach Jordanian Bedouin how to work the terrain. This cooperation has been going on for around 15 years, and the results can be seen in the new crops.

On to the cows. 10% of their biomass is reused to generate electricity for the milking plant. And as we were finishing our tour, we saw the latest installation in solar energy being fitted.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere, the kibbutz has around 300 families, and is growing. Swimming pool. Brilliant milk products. A real life desert oasis and thriving.