Prof. Raanan Weitz was aptly referred to as “Mr. Development”. He is the one individual who has had the most influence on the development of the rural areas in Israel.

Born in Rehovot in 1913. Raanan Weitz graduated with a PhD from the Universityof Florence in 1937 and immediately commenced working at the settlement department of the Jewish agency in Israel. During the next 47 years he was involved in most of the development activities taking place in Israel. Starting as a regional planner, he progressed through to director of the department by 1963, the post he held until his retirement in 1984. During this period, hundreds of new villages and settlements were established under his guidance and leadership. He was at the forefront of the transition from subsistence farming to high-tech, specialized, export- oriented agriculture, and the planning and development of new regions according to the unique integrated approach (the Rehovot Approach). Hundreds of thousands of new immigrants were successfully absorbed and gainfully employed in the rural regions during this period.

Prof. Weitz was also involved in numerous development projects in developing countries as an expert consultant to governments and international organizations. He wrote and edited numerous books and articles on the various aspects of development and integrated planning. Among them; "Rural Development in a Changing World" 1971, "Integrated Rural Development; The Rehovot Approach" 1979, "New Roads to Development" 1986 and the groundbreaking and renowned “From Peasant to Farmer” initially published in 1971. Prof. Weitz initiated and conducted numerous research studies.

In 1991 he received the highest commendation granted in the country, the “Israel Award” for his work in development and research in agriculture and regional planning in Israel and abroad.
In 1963 Prof. Weitz established and chaired the Settlement Study Center (SSC) for research and planning in development issues in Israel and for the dissemination of the Israeli experience to less developed regions. The “Rehovot Approach” to Integrated Regional Development planning was developed and formulated by Prof. Weitz and the professional faculty of the Center.  After his death in 1998, the center was renamed in his honor as the “Weitz Center for Development Studies”.