GMOs could help end hunger in Africa: Gates

Jan 29, 2016

Microsoft co-founder spoke at the World Economic Forum

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Bill Gates continues to build his case for GMOs.

Speaking with the Wall Street Journal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 25, Bill and Melinda Gates showed support for GMO technology and its potential impacts in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.

“There’s fantastic technology going on for pest-resistant seeds, for drought-resistant seeds (and) flood-resistant seeds as the rains come at different times,” Mrs. Gates said during the interview.

Mrs. Gates said that as farmers in Africa see neighbors using those products and their results, others may be inclined to use them. She said higher yields provide people with more to eat and more that can be sold on local markets to help the economy.

Mr. Gates said the technology involved with GMOs can not only help farmers produce more as they battle climate change, but can also help the community be healthier.

“I think for Africa this is going to make a huge difference particularly as they face climate change,” he said. It reduces the amount of pesticide you need, raises productivity (and) can help with malnutrition by getting vitamin fortification.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.