Gates To Give $306M To Combat Hunger

(CBS/AP)  Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced Friday at the World Economic Forum that his foundation would give $306 million to use green technology and farming techniques to boost millions out of hunger and poverty.

The announcement by Gates, who is a long-time favorite speaker at the annual meeting of business and government leaders, injected a shot of optimism into the gathering which had been weighed down the first two days by fears of a global economic downturn.

Gates, who is stepping down as Microsoft chair later this year and expected to focus more on philanthropy, received a standing ovation at the suggestion of anti-poverty campaigner and U2 frontman Bono.

"It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here," said Bono. "This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment."

Gates said the foundation set up by him and his wife, Melinda would give the money to help millions of African farmers feed themselves and others and work their way out of poverty in a new green revolution using targeted technology and training.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has concentrated on improving health in poor parts of the world, has decided it is time to improve agriculture, he told reporters.

"Why do we think agriculture is so important?" said Gates. "Of the billion people who live on less than $1 a day, three-quarters are small farmers. And often it is actually the woman who is doing her best to both create crops for eating and earn some cash to buy other things."

Gates on Thursday urged business to work with governments and nonprofit groups in a new kind of capitalism to stem global poverty and spur more technological innovation for those left behind.

The program was partially inspired by the Green Revolution, a program designed to raise food production in Latin America, Africa and Asia. While the program has been deemed a success, it has been widely criticized for its heavy use of fertilizers, pesticides and lack of biodiversity, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The foundation is trying to avoid those pitfalls in part by staying more focused on local conditions - of soil and people - than the Green Revolution did, said Rajiv Shah, director of the foundation's agricultural development program, according to the Journal.

But despite the optimism, economic turbulence still lingered over the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.

Indian Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said that the threat of a global slowdown would hurt his country, one of Asia's biggest economies.

A "slowdown is a precursor to a recession and I think that is worrying," he said. "It is especially worrying to developing countries like India."

The first two days of discussions in the five-day annual meeting of 2,500 leaders were devoted largely to what might be done to stave off recession and combat terrorism and conflict in global hotspots like Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.

On Thursday the forum challenged - and heard challenges from - leaders from the Middle East and South Asia, with Israel's foreign minister calling directly on global business leaders to pull their money out of Iran, and participants voicing concern that elections under Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would not be free and fair.

Musharraf, on a European tour to build confidence after months of political turmoil at home, told business and government leaders that the elections would be transparent.

He brushed off complaints about human rights, saying that combating illiteracy and poverty and fostering political stability were far more important if his country was to eliminate terrorism.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged the leaders to take a personal stand against Iran's leadership by divesting from the country.

"Iran exports terrorism, destabilizes the region, denies the Holocaust and threatens to wipe Israel, my home, off the map," said Livni, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's frequent calls for the elimination of Jewish state.

"If every company here and every country here would decide to divest from Iran, this would stop Iran," she said. "Iran is a global threat and Iran can be stopped by you."

[frankbowers]

In some ways he is like the illegal mexicans make it here and ship it out (back home for them) although we have to educate their kids and birth them in our hospitals at our expense and not theirs. Frank Bowers

[frankbowers]

I think he and his wife are great for giving unlike gw bush who takes and takes and *** cheney who want to put in his old pockets shame on them but I think Mr. And Mrs Gates should look toward home to give and this is the country that allowed them the good fortune to make his fortunes. Why not give at home NO, La. for starters could use this. As for the army I would not give them one sticking copper cent the men and women there desired to be where they are and the conditions they are in as they with their 70% vote for gw and dic with the religious majority idiots put them in office even knowing of his/their lies and deciet. The best of good byes to all and to all good night Frank Bowers down in Austin,.TX an old vet with 3 honorable discharges something gw and dic will never own regardless of how much they lie and steal from America.

[anonbene]

dear bmsbms re; If I had his money... there are so many things in the U.S. that could be helped. - Education, our military, the homeless, the unemployed,
Build the walls separating us from Mexico & Canada - would be helpful. and so on & so on.

Bill Gates has his money and even he can''t figure out how to end poverty in this country and you think you can?

[anonbene]

I would like to thank all you americans for buying my thing that doesn''t work well and to show my appreciation I am going somewhere else to spend it. Hey your americans you dont need help you are in the land of opportunity want to be rich do what I did. aren''t I a saint for doing all this good? please bow and applaud me when you see me. C''mon everyone wants to help the africans, it''s whats in style, i''m just following angelinas lead. Cure poverty in america? don''t be silly, even the great and poweful ME can''t do that, I ain''t smart enough. Bill G

[hypnotoad72]

And the average Joe? What do they do to share? None of us can join the likes of him and Warren at the giver''''s table, but each of us can join them in kind. Our family gives 10% of what we have available to our own charities. It make us feel better, like watching your kids open presents on Christmas morning or their birthdays.

Posted by j_flood
------------------
If you had what Bill does, he could give 0.06 of 1% of what he was worth and barely bat an eyelid. :)

And to this:
"Mr Gates: Africa didn''''t make you rich and who you are today. WE THE AMERICANS DID, buying your products and getting tax insentives from our government.
You are a very intelligent man; read between the lines.


Posted by nikosk1"
-------------------
Globalization is not a bad thing. It''s *** easy to be cynical, but there is the flip side to consider.

Even with that, globalization should be about expansion - not MIGRATION; the latter of which is a legitimate contributor to today''s market crisis. BTW, Mr Gates said in 2005 the dollar would fall - meanwhile, he (like others) keeps migrating jobs and asking for more H1Bs. At what point do these other countries become self-sufficient and won''t need America''s help any longer? Our country is not paved with gold and we have our problems too.

[bmsbms29]

I want to thank Bill Gates for giving to help other countries.

But I do hope that he AND others with money will remember the U.S. and our needs!

If I had his money... there are so many things in the U.S. that could be helped. - Education, our military, the homeless, the unemployed,
Build the walls separating us from Mexico & Canada - would be helpful. and so on & so on.

[erichsh]

Don''t bother about a passport,I won''t be coming back!

Posted by lexluthor5 at 04:59 AM

Really? Cool! Bon Voyage!

[tylenol6]

I just read Bush has asked congress to DOUBLE the aid
to Africa to $30 BILLION DOLLAR''S, while the U.S. is
crumbling.....Bush also will be asking for more war
fund''s for his disaster war in May or June.

[j_flood]

What does Microsoft have to do with Bill''s personal life and choices? He was slow to become a giver, but he''s made up for lost time and provoked others to join him. And the average Joe? What do they do to share? None of us can join the likes of him and Warren at the giver''s table, but each of us can join them in kind. Our family gives 10% of what we have available to our own charities. It make us feel better, like watching your kids open presents on Christmas morning or their birthdays.

[mom_o_truth]

Oh, and installing Xp-service pack2 was missing a file called: AMDAGP.SYS that I had to skip to finish the installation that took over 3 hours by high speed DSL.