The Bill Gates–founded philanthropic organization will spend at least $1.4 billion over the next four years to support farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia with technologies designed to help them adapt to increasingly extreme weather, the foundation’s CEO told Reuters.
Speaking ahead of next week’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, Mark Suzman said the funds will be directed toward innovations such as soil-health mapping and biofertilisers that rely on microorganisms instead of chemicals to support plant growth.
His comments follow Gates’ recent call for a shift in climate strategy, away from solely focusing on emissions targets and toward protecting vulnerable populations who face the worst impacts of climate volatility.
“These are the people who have contributed such a minimal fraction to the greenhouse gas emission that is causing climate change, but they are the most affected because those climate impacts actually hit them in terms of their ability to feed themselves and their families,” Suzman told Reuters in an interview before the funding announcement.
With climate-driven weather extremes increasingly threatening crop yields and food security, the United Nations has appealed for stronger protections for agriculture as global warming accelerates.
Don’t Miss This:
A report released Tuesday by more than 20 organizations, including consultancy Systemiq, found that investment in crop resilience ranks among the most impactful climate interventions.
The report highlighted the urgent need for climate-resilient crop varieties, improved weather forecasting, and emerging tools such as AI-enabled mapping and advisory systems.
The International Potato Center, previously supported by Gates Foundation funding, announced a new potato variety on Thursday that is resistant to blight, a disease expanding to higher altitudes as global temperatures rise.
“This new potato was developed in Peru by identifying wild potatoes with resistance to the disease and incorporating this resistance into cultivated varieties,” explained researcher Thiago Mendes.
Another beneficiary, TomorrowNow, provides farmers in countries such as Kenya and Rwanda with weather updates via text message, helping them avoid waste and optimize planting and harvesting decisions.
WANJERI Mbugua, the organization’s CEO, told Reuters the service helps farmers adjust to shifting weather patterns
Ivory Coast Cocoa Crop Holds Strong, But Farmers Stress Need For Sunshine and protect their resources.
Suzman noted that while agricultural research and development is strong, the global priority must be ensuring that these solutions reach the world’s poorest communities. “The jury is still out on if we’re going to see that,” he said.
Don’t Miss This:
Bill Gates Pledges Majority Of His $200 Billion Fortune To Support Africa’s Development
Image Credit: Reuters
