TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE~**<br/> <br />This farm in southern Israel is a fertile environment for peppers, and according to the Defense Ministry, it's also rich in landmines. So many, in fact, that the government considers them a 'ticking bomb' for farmers and others in the area.<br/> <br />To deal with the problem, army officials have brought in the Mine Wolf (over image of de-mining tractor) and specially equipped teams to start clearing mines in the area stretching from the Dead Sea into the Arava Desert.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Michael Haiman, Director Of Technology And Information Management For The Israeli National Mine Action Authority saying:<br/> <br />"Our goal is to clean them (mines) as efficiently as possible and to release the land in order to give it back to the people."<br/> <br />For locals, the effort is welcome news.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Bari, Israeli Farmer saying:<br/> <br />"We always have it in the back of our minds that maybe at some point we might hit something (audio of explosion in background from de-mining). Now we can see actually how many land mines are here."<br/> <br />The government says an estimated 7,000 mines are buried along this 59 acre stretch along Israel's border with Jordan.<br/> <br />Deborah Gembara, Reuters.
