The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released their 2010 agriculture project progress reports and prominently among them is the Heifer International East Africa Dairy Development project. This project received a 42.8 million dollar grant from the Gates Foundation and is aimed at doubling the incomes of thousands of East African farmers in ten years.
Watch the video below to see the inspiring work of this project and read the progress report to learn more about how Heifer is working with the Gates Foundation and local project partners to change the lives of 179,000 farmers in
I applaud the Gates Foundation overall goals and strategies. However, given that the consumption of meat and dairy is a highly inefficient use of natural resources I question the large scale support of groups giving money to buy livestock. The grain and water to produce meat for 1 person could provide enough grain and water for 100 vegetarians) I think it is irresponsible to try to move other cultures in the direction of the US meat and dairy eating habits. Micro lending for small scale farming would produce better human health outcomes, larger economic benefits for more people and create less environmental degradation as well as water shortages. Please rethink this well intentioned but misguided support. Thank you
My friend the anonymous respondent forgets that the Foundation is addressing a well known global dilema for poor communities in the world – malnutrition resulting from malnourishment resulting in poor health and low vitality among the poor communities of the world – due to not just lack of adequate quantity of food, but the consumption of largely carbohydrate/starch based diets. In plain language the poor communities in Africa particularly in sub-saharan Africa do not consume enough animal protein foods to balance their diet. Check the statistics and see for yourself. Of course you can say the vegatarians eat balanced food. Great but it is not everybody who wants to be a vegetarians in this world, especially in greater parts of Africa where fresh milk and meat consumption is a culture
The respondent will be pleased to know that the Gates supported dairy project in East Africa is not grain based (as is probably assumed here). It is largely fodder crops (grass and farm crops residues)based. Little or no grain is invloved. Also this project adopts an integrated approach to farming promoting sustainable environmentally friendly strategies such animal waste management with manure and urine captured and used as organic fertilizer for kitchen gardens and crops; fodder trees planting; water harvesting. The core of this project is building private sector confidence to invest in dairying through providing micro-criedt to smallholder farmer associations to scale up and diversify thier businesses. Currently this project has resulted in to four farmers associations owned village banks providing needed financial services to their communities and themselves.
The video is just attempted to capture you attention and hopefully the respondent can go see what is raelly happening on the ground and I really encourage him/her to do so or contact Heifer International the project leader to learn more.
I have tremendously benefited and many donors and development supporters should borrow a leaf from the Foundation's strategy to help end hunger and poverty.
Thanks