MEDIA RELEASE PR36535
Bill Gates to Call for United Action to Support World's Poorest Farmers
DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Announce US$120 Million in
New Agriculture Grants
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Thursday will urge governments, donors,
researchers, farmer groups, environmentalists, and others to set aside old divisions and join forces to help
millions of the world's poorest farming families boost their yields and incomes so they can lift themselves out of
hunger and poverty. Gates will say the effort must be guided by the farmers themselves, adapted to local
circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and the environment.
Speaking at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, in his first major address on agricultural
development, Gates will lay out the foundation's vision, which includes investments in better seeds, training,
market access, and policies that support small farmers. Gates also will announce nine foundation grants
totaling US$120 million that illustrate the range of efforts necessary to empower millions of small farmers to
grow enough to build better, healthier lives.
"Melinda and I believe that helping the poorest small-holder farmers grow more crops and get them to
market is the world's single most powerful lever for reducing hunger and poverty," Gates will say, according to
a draft of his speech.
After his speech, Gates will be joined on the stage by the 2009 World Food Prize laureate, Dr. Gebisa Ejeta,
a renowned Ethiopian sorghum researcher who was honored for his work to develop hybrids resistant to
drought and the Striga weed – advances credited with increasing food security for hundreds of millions of
Africans.
The foundation's new grants include funding for legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil, higher yielding varieties
of sorghum and millet, and new varieties of sweet potatoes that resist pests and have a higher vitamin content.
Other projects will help the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa support African governments in
developing policies that serve small farmers; help get information to farmers by radio and cell phone; support
school feeding programs; provide training and resources that African governments can draw on as they
regulate biotechnologies; and help women farmers in India manage their land and water resources
sustainably. To date, the foundation has committed US$1.4 billion to agricultural development efforts.
Gates will say the world should draw inspiration from the agricultural transformation in Latin America and
Asia during the 1960s to 1980s, known as the Green Revolution, which averted famine, saved hundreds of
millions of lives, and fueled widespread economic development.
But Gates will warn that as scientists, governments, and others strive to repeat the successes of the original
Green Revolution, they should be careful not to repeat its mistakes, such as the overuse of fertilizer and
irrigation.
"The next Green Revolution has to be greener than the first," Gates will say. "It must be guided by small-
holder farmers, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and the environment."
According to the World Bank, three-quarters of the 1 billion people who live in extreme poverty depend on
agriculture for a living. More than 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger in the developing world. In the
world's poorest areas, small farmers frequently face harsh conditions, including depleted soils, pests, drought,
diseases, and lack of water. Even if they manage to grow a surplus, they often lack a reliable market where
they can sell it.
Despite these challenges, there are reasons for optimism in the fight against hunger. After two decades of
neglect, the world's attention is once again focused on agricultural development. The G20 group of leading
donor and developing nations recently made a three-year, US$22 billion pledge to help solve global hunger by
supporting small farmers in the developing world.
"It's a great thing that donor nations are focusing on this issue," Gates will say. "But we need them to spell
out clearly what the US$22 billion means -- how much is old money, how much is new, how soon can they
spend it, and when will they do more?"
While Gates will say that major breakthroughs in the fight against hunger and poverty are now within reach,
he will caution that progress toward alleviating global hunger is "endangered by an ideological wedge that
threatens to split the movement in two." On one side, he will say, there are groups that support technological
solutions to increase agricultural productivity without proper regard to environmental and sustainability
concerns. On the other, there are those who react negatively to any emphasis on productivity.
"It's a false choice, and it's dangerous for the field," Gates will say. "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."
Gates will say the foundation is supporting research on crops that can withstand drought and flooding so
poor farmers can adapt to climate change. It is also supporting a ground-breaking effort with the World Food
Programme (WFP) to buy food from small farmers in the developing world for food aid. WFP has already
purchased 17,000 metric tons of food from small farmers through the program, linking many to markets for the
first time.
Gates will say the foundation isn't an advocate of any particular scientific method. "Of course, these
technologies must be subject to rigorous scientific review to ensure they are safe and effective. It's the
responsibility of governments, farmers, and citizens -- informed by excellent science -- to choose the best and
safest way to help feed their countries," Gates will say.
Gates will also pay tribute to Dr. Norman Borlaug, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his
pioneering work in expanding agricultural production in the developing world, who died on September 12 of
this year.
"His passing is cause for sadness, but his life should make us optimistic," Gates will say. "He not only
showed humanity how to get more food from the earth -- he proved that farming has the power to lift up the
lives of the poor. It's a lesson the world is thankfully relearning today."
Note to Editors: Video clips and other media materials will be available following the speech at:
Username: GatesFoundationII
Password: WorldFoodPrizeII
This announcement includes the following grants:
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
The AGRA Policy Program: US$15 million
To develop a strong policy support system in Africa that will raise incomes, and assure household and
national food security. The program focuses on policies to speed adoption of approaches to improve farmer
productivity, market and trade policies to stimulate expanded markets for staple crops, and land and
property rights policies to stimulate equitable agricultural growth for the poor.
Press Contacts
Preeti Singh, +1-301-652-1558, ext. 5722, psingh@burnesscommunications.com
Stella Kihara, +254-735380199, skihara@agra-alliance.org
American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Farmer Voice Radio: US$10 million
To create a network of radio broadcasters, farmer groups, universities, research institutes, non-
governmental organizations, ministries of agriculture, and African media organizations to generate quality
content and facilitate impact-driven and sustainable broadcasting to small-holder
farmers to enhance their livelihoods. The project aims to reach 1.6 million small-holder farmers in Kenya,
Malawi, Zambia, Mali, Ghana, and Tanzania in its first four years.
Press Contact
Larry McQuillan, +1-202-403-5119 or +1-202-641-7747, lmcquillan@air.org
Grameen Foundation
Building a Network of Community Knowledge Workers: US$4.7 million
To develop a network of 4,000 community knowledge workers in Uganda who use mobile devices to increase
the reach and relevance of agricultural information, leading to improved productivity and livelihoods for
small-holder farmers. The project aims to reach up to 280,000 small-holder farmers, reduce the cost of
adoption of new and improved practices by 25 percent to 50 percent, and ultimately provide a model that can
be scaled to reach millions of small-holder farmers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Press Contact
Liselle York, +1-202-628-3560, ext. 128 or +1-202-549-3400,
lyorke@grameenfoundation.org
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Harnessing Opportunities for
Productivity Enhancement (HOPE) of Sorghum and Millets: US$18 million
To help small-holder farmers in moisture-deficient areas of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia increase
their yields of sorghum, pearl millet, and finger millet to improve food security and increase the income of
farmers. The project aims to benefit 200,000 households by increasing yields of sorghum and millet by 35 to
40 percent over four years.
Press Contact
Rex L. Navarro, +91-40-3071-3223, rex.navarro@cgiar.org
International Potato Center (CIP)
Sweet Potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA):
US$21.25 million
To produce high-yielding, stress-tolerant varieties of sweet potato to help farming families in Sub-Saharan
Africa improve their productivity, incomes, and nutrition. The project aims to benefit 150,000 families directly
from the initial seed systems work, and up to 1 million families indirectly from the first set of improved varieties
in five years.
Press Contact
Valerie Gwinner, +1-202-468-7486, v.gwinner@cgiar.org
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and Michigan State
University (MSU)
African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE): US$10.4 million
To create a center in Africa that provides training, education, and technical support to African regulators to
develop regulatory systems for biotechnology, ensuring countries can make informed decisions on how to
use these advances while protecting farmers, consumers, and the environment.
Press Contacts
Aggrey Ambali, +27-12-841-3688, aggrey@nepadst.org
Karim Maredia, +1-517-353-5262 or +1-517-775-6627, kmaredia@msu.edu
Stephanie Motschenbacher, +1-517-884-2135, motsche3@msu.edu
Partnership for Child Development (PCD)
Home-grown School Feeding: US$12 million
To support the delivery of cost-effective school feeding programs that promote local agriculture and benefit
small-holder farmers. The project aims to increase the income and improve the nutritional status of
approximately 200,000 small farmers; improve the education, health, and nutrition of school-age children;
and provide opportunities to those involved in the transportation, processing, and preparation of food along
the school-feeding value chain.
Press Contact
Lucy Goodchild, +44(0)20-7594-6702, lucy.goodchild@imperial.ac.uk
Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN)
Developing Farm-based Livelihoods in Endemically Poor Regions of India:
US$9.7 million
To create sustainable farm-based livelihoods for rural families in endemically poor regions of India by
training women farmers in land and water management and modern farming practices, establishing village
extension services, and building effective market linkages. The project aims to mobilize 120,000 women into
self-help groups to assist them in improving their farm productivity and food security, enhancing their
household income.
Press Contact
Souparno Chatterjee, +91-11-26518619 or +91-4164-0611, ext. 21
Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Small-holder Farmers in Africa
(NforAfrica): US$19 million
To increase legume productivity, family nutrition, soil health, cropping systems, and farm income for small
farmers in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Malawi by expanding the use of selected
legumes, proven tools of biological nitrogen fixation, and sound agronomic principles. The project aims to
benefit 225,000 farmers.
Press Contact
Erik Toussaint, +31-(0)-317-48-08-67 or +31-(0)-6-51-56-59-49,
erik.toussaint@wur.nl
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all
people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and
giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to
ensure that all people -- especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the opportunities they
need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes
and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn
SOURCE: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
CONTACT: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
+1-206-709-3400,
media@gatesfoundation.org
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