In this weekly column, Roger Thurow, former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, describes the interest of Embrapa, the Brazilian agricultural research corporation that engineered a ‘green revolution’ in Brazil, in Africa. ‘. . . In Africa, Embrapa’s scientists are exploring soil and geological conditions that are similar to Brazil’s. . . . Embrapa has … Continue reading
The Huffington Post last week (25 June 2010) published an opinion piece by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Development Program. She argued the need for ‘big talk’ at forthcoming ‘big meetings’ to remain focused on meeting the needs of the world’s small farmers. ‘The season of big meetings … Continue reading
This workshop by Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) brought together scientists based in sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom to foster scientific collaborations with the potential to create new pathways … Continue reading
International agricultural development acquired a significant new player last December when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — the biggest private foundation in the world, with US$37 billion under its control — announced that it was joining the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). When the Gates Foundation launched its own agricultural programmes a … Continue reading
In the second annual letter he has issued to the public to discuss his and his wife’s philanthropic work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft founder Bill Gates issued an upbeat assessment on the prospects of overcoming the challenges faced by the world’s poorest people—many in Africa—in the fields of health and agriculture. … Continue reading
Sam Dryden, an investor and entrepreneur, was named Friday to be the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new director of agricultural development. Dryden, a managing director of New York-based Wolfensohn & Company, an investment firm, will begin the new post on Feb. 1. He replaces Dr. Rajiv Shah, who was sworn in Thursday as the … Continue reading
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation views the CGIAR as a crucial partner in the fight against hunger and poverty, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The CGIAR’s proven track record in enhancing smallholder productivity growth has inspired the Foundation’s strategy for investing in smallholder agriculture as an engine of overall economic growth and … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 