Bill Gates to Call for United Action to Support World's Poorest Farmers

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Announce $120 Million in New Agriculture
Grants

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 $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
$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, $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 $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:

ftp://GatesFoundationII:WorldFoodPrizeII@omaedcftp001.interpublic.com
Username: GatesFoundationII
Password: WorldFoodPrizeII

This announcement includes the following grants:

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
The AGRA Policy Program: $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: $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: $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: $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): $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, 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): $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: $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: $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 2651 8619 or +91 4164 0611, ext. 21

Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Small-holder Farmers in Africa
(NforAfrica): $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 more about the foundation at
www.gatesfoundation.org.

SOURCE Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, +1-206-709-3400, media@gatesfoundation.org