Can Bill Gates end world hunger?
Posted by staff / October 17, 2009More inspiring stories on good.
Among his many philanthropic efforts to spread good, it looks like the world’s richest man is setting his sights on solving world hunger. In recent remarks, Bill Gates called for a second “Green Revolution,” focusing on farmer training and infrastructure in Africa, in addition to new crop varieties and higher leads.
“Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land,” Gates said. “So if we can make smallholder farming more productive and more profitable, we can have a massive impact on hunger and nutrition and poverty.”
Interestingly enough, Gates is looking to controversial genetically modified foods (GMOs) as part of the solution. The Microsoft founder recently gifted $10.4 million to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and Michigan State University, as part of a charge to develop a center in Africa to regulate the new biotechnology.
Think Gates can lead the way? Are GMOs a viable solution? It’s certainly great to see someone using his wealth to do so much good in his lifetime.
[via Scientific American]
By Noelle Chun
I must agree with the comment that it is a pity Bill Gates did not look into what Foundations for Farming do and to give us support rather than looking at supporting research and distributing genetically modified seeds, which mean that the poor have to buy seeds every year, instead of using open seed variety – where do they get the money to do that? I guess when you are a businessman money has to make money no matter what!