Gates Foundation Pledges $120 Million for African, Indian Farmers

Nine institutions and projects in Africa and India concerned with sustainable agriculture will receive grants worth $120 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization established by Microsoft's co-founder and his wife.

Speaking on Thursday at the World Food Prize Symposium in Iowa, just 24 hours before World Food Day, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told his audience that the foundation he and his wife established in order to "help all people lead healthy, productive lives" in both the developing world and the U.S. was making grants worth $120 million so that small-holder farming can become "more productive and more profitable" and "can have a massive impact on hunger and nutrition and poverty". According to AFP Mr Gates, who explained that "Three-quarters of the world's poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land", also sang the praises of the late Norman Borlaug, a scientist whose development of disease-resistant wheat is said to have saved literally millions of lives. Called the father of the Green Revolution, Mr Borlaug died in September and was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He also received India's highest civilian honour for a foreign citizen, the Padma Vibhushan. But Mr Gates argued that irrespective of the success of the Green Revolution it still "didn't go far enough", in particular it hadn't benefited Africa as it might have done. The Seattle Times, actually reporting prior to Mr Gates' speech, notes that despite having provided $1.4 billion of funding for agricultural projects in Africa and South Asia over the last three years the foundation run by Bill and Melinda Gates has been criticized for making some of the same mistakes as those who started the first Green Revolution five decades ago. Namely placing technology solutions and higher yields at the center of the work that has been undertaken. Rejecting the notion that environmental concerns and productivity gains are somehow incompatible, Mr Gates said:

It's a false choice, and it's dangerous for the field. It blocks important advances. It breeds hostility among people who need to work together. And it makes it hard to launch a comprehensive program to help poor farmers. The fact is, we need both productivity and sustainability — and there is no reason we can't have both

It is anticipated that the crops due to be developed using the funds provided by the Gates Foundation can serve various purposes and have various qualities. For example they might benefit the environment. They might help improve health. Or they might be resistant to climate change. Referring to a report produced by Stanford University in California Mr Gates said that climate change could in 20 years time reduce productivity in parts of Africa by 25 percent from the levels seen today if new, hardier crops are not developed. According to the Earth Times, amongst the projects due to receive a share of the $120 million from the Gates Foundation is the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Based in Kenya AGRA will receive $15 million dollars to help it develop policies for improving farmer productivity, expanding markets for crops and strengthening property rights. Farmers supplying local school-feeding programs will receive $12 million in assistance. Whilst $10 million will make its way to a farmer radio network operating in six African countries, including Kenya and Ghana. In India $9.7 million will go towards training 120,000 women in land and water management. The largest recipient of funds will be the the International Potato Center, which has $21.25 million coming its way as it works towards producing high-yielding and pest-resistant varieties of sweet potato for sub-Saharan Africa. Research institutions, universities, the United Nations, the World Bank, scientists and the corporate world were all urged by Mr Gates to play their part in fighting hunger in Africa and other developing regions. And to ensure that the fight against hunger is not waged in a manner that is detrimental to the environment.