World’s Richest Man Discusses Crop Production
October 30, 2009 Bill Gates challenges industry and governments to embark on another Green Revolution.
In his first major comments about global food security, Bill Gates challenged governments, industry, environmentalists to "set aside old divisions and join forces" to help the world’s farmers feed their respective communities, according to the Seattle Times.
His comments came Oct. 15 during the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, IA.
Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthroper has infused $1.4 billion into agriculture throughout Southeast Asia and Africa for the past three years, but critics say his investments into better crop production technologies and education fail to address the underlying problems of developing regions, such as infrastructure.
The symposium, focused on "Food, Agriculture & National Security in a Globalized World," comes at a time when the United Nations reports that about 1 billion people are undernourished in the world, and the economic recession is affecting the poorest people the most, exacerbating vulnerabilities in global food security.
Visit the Seattle Times for the full story.
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