Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

Call me a pessimist, but when I see such a huge amount of money being donated - I can't help but wonder how it's meant to trickle down to the people, how it's made sure the people know how to manage it well, etc.

I guess details like this are too complex to go through in a general news article.

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#5

Post by netsp » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 5:20 AM UTC

kentosi wrote: post #4

[deleted] wrote: post #2

[deleted]

Call me a pessimist, but when I see such a huge amount of money being donated - I can't help but wonder how it's meant to trickle down to the people, how it's made sure the people know how to manage it well, etc. I guess details like this are too complex to go through in a general news article.

This is something that concerns a lot of people in the area. A lot of people want to solve this problem. There are all sorts of tools, but there is no equivalent of 'price' for philanthropy. No perfect solution.

One example is the way that the Acumen Fund "invests." They insist on there being good feedback loops. Subsidised farming (eg cheap micro irrigation equipment) technology is preferred relative to free farming technology because the former requires poor farmers to dedicate extremely scarce resources. This means that they buy in to the system.

Modular solutions are preferred to make-over solutions. For example, if a micro farmer (say 2 hectares) can buy or receive enough equipment to irrigate only 1/4 hectare and must make a decision about the second 1/4 hectare after seeing the results (perhaps reinvesting the gains) on the first, this is better then a plan to completely irrigate an entire village, even if they are contributing scarce cash to the project themselves.

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#6

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 5:46 AM UTC

rooshdi wrote: post #3

applauds effort A lot of people hate on Bill, but the man sure knows how to invest his money wisely.

[deleted]

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#7

Post by djb_hackernews » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 5:51 AM UTC

He doesn't say what area or which country but I spent a few weeks in Burkina Faso in West Africa. ( it will rank as one of the poorest countries in the world) I hung out with a friend who was working on a food security program for a US based NGO, so I have a good idea about the current conditions. The farmers are trying to grow crops in terrible conditions and I don't think any amount of money is going to help them. It's just an arid barren soil with absolutely zero infrastructure. Which doesn't really matter because these farmers are trying to grow food just to live, not to sell. I think most of the country has conditions not suitable for human habitat, but those are the people that need help the most.

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#8

Post by kyro » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 6:12 AM UTC

rooshdi wrote: post #3

applauds effort A lot of people hate on Bill, but the man sure knows how to invest his money wisely.

But it's all dirty Micro$oft money! That can't be good!

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#9

Post by Technophilis » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 6:14 AM UTC

kyro wrote: post #8

rooshdi wrote: post #3

applauds effort A lot of people hate on Bill, but the man sure knows how to invest his money wisely.

But it's all dirty Micro$oft money! That can't be good!

How do you define "good" ?

Re: Bill Gates pledges 120 million to boost African, Indian farmers

#10

Post by indranil » Fri, Oct 16, 2009, 6:17 AM UTC

Why does the news always only cover the "pledging" and not follow up with how/when and if at all that pledge and subsequent giving has helped the people they were supposed to help?