Anonymous ID: a0e555 April 17, 2020, 10:44 p.m. No.8835715   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5795 >>5879 >>5885 >>5924

>>8835340 >>8835375

 

Bill Gates finds fertilizer fascinating

 

May 13, 2013

 

https://www.farmprogress.com/blog/bill-gates-finds-fertilizer-fascinating

 

Highlights of this article:

 

“A few billion people would have to die if we hadn’t come up with fertilizer,” he told CBS’ Charlie Rose Sunday night on “60 Minutes.”

 

In his annual letter he called on the United States and other developed nations to take agricultural research more seriously.

 

There is also his blog which discusses his interest.. followed by the foundation annual letter..

 

Gates Notes..

My 2012 Annual Letter

https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/My-2012-Annual-Letter

 

Wasn't aware he had an annual letter and a blog..The interview with Charlie Rose should be an interesting watch..

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Anonymous ID: a0e555 April 17, 2020, 10:56 p.m. No.8835795   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5879 >>5885 >>5924

>>8835715

 

Gates Foundation.Org

Annual Letter 2012

 

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/Resources-and-Media/Annual-Letters-List/Annual-Letter-2012

 

Agricultural Research

Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking—not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous—how little money is spent on agricultural research. In total, only $3 billion per year is spent on researching the seven most important crops. This includes $1.5 billion spent by countries, $1.2 billion by private companies, and $300 million by an agency called the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Even though the CGIAR money is only 10 percent of the spending, it is critical because it focuses on the needs of poor countries. Very little of the country and private spending goes toward the priorities of small farmers in Africa or South Asia.

 

Norman Borlaug, Nobel Prize winner and father of the Green Revolution, first got involved in plant science after he heard a professor give a speech entitled “These Shifty Little Enemies That Destroy Our Food Crops.” The Rockefeller Foundation enticed Borlaug to move to Mexico, where he created new varieties of wheat that were resistant to a fungus called wheat stem rust. It was only after he got there that he figured out additional strategies to increase wheat productivity. Borlaug was always concerned that new forms of wheat rust would emerge. Unfortunately, he was proven right in 1999 when a new and extremely virulent wheat rust called Ug99 was found in Uganda. Though Ug99 is still mostly in Africa, it has jumped the Red Sea and is now being found in Iran and Yemen, on its way toward India. The response to Ug99 started slowly, but great work by a collection of experts, including researchers in Ethiopia and Kenya, has led to new varieties with some level of resistance. A huge effort is being undertaken to make sure that the new resistant varieties are adopted broadly before the disease moves into Asia or the Americas.

 

Sounds man made doesn't it?

Anonymous ID: a0e555 April 17, 2020, 11:07 p.m. No.8835879   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5894 >>5924

>>8835715 >>8835795

 

Gates Foundation.Org

 

Annual Letter 2012

 

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Who-We-Are/Resources-and-Media/Annual-Letters-List/Annual-Letter-2012

 

Why I'm Optimistic

 

Early in 2011, President Sarkozy of France invited me to write a report for the G20 and present it in person at their November meeting in Cannes. This was a huge honor, since it is the first time a philanthropist has been asked to speak to this group. The organizers weren’t even sure what country to put on my badge since I wasn’t coming as part of the U.S. official delegation. They decided to put “Invitee” on my badge, making me briefly the head of government of Invitee!

 

My report focused on how the G20 can help ensure that the poorest are not forgotten, as rich countries deal with significant economic and budget challenges. The report, “Innovation with Impact: Financing 21st Century Development,” is on gatesfoundation.org. It starts by describing how much life has improved for the poorest over the past 50 years. Part of the reason is the aid contributed by rich countries. A lot of media attention focused on my suggestions of a modest financial transaction tax, increased tobacco taxes, and a carbon tax to support aid commitments. None of these ideas has universal agreement, and none will solve the problem alone, but they can make a big difference if even just a few countries adopt them.