Page 21 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13

Wholeness

Corporations 244 A relatively minor share of Gates’ funding goes directly to the corporate sector. Most of
the grants are for specific technologies developed by the corporations in question. Major
grantees include the World Cocoa Foundation ($31m), a corporate outfit representing the
world’s major food and cocoa processors, for improving marketing and production effi-
ciency, and Zoetis (a Belgium based veterinary transnational - $14m) for getting veterinary
products to farmers.

Total 5,865

Table 2: Gates Foundation agricultural grant recipients, top 10 countries 2003-2021
(Excludes grants to CGIAR, AGRA, AATF and International organisations)

COUNTRY $US MILLION MAIN RECIPIENTS
USA 1,657 The USA is by far the largest recipient country of Gates agricultural grants meant to benefit farmers in
poor countries: $1,657 million dished out in over 400 grants. Recipients include US universities and re-
search institutions to produce crop varieties and biotechnology research for farmers in Africa (e.g. Cornell
University, a whopping $212m in 26 grants), big NGO projects mostly oriented to develop technology and
markets (e.g. Heifer, $51m, to increase cow productivity and Technoserve Inc., $51m, to push new tech-
nologies), and several policy and capacity building projects to push the foundation’s agenda in Africa and
elsewhere.
UK 466 A total of 81 grants with a focus on research such as for the University of Greenwich to work on pests and
diseases in cassava and other crops (10 grants totalling $73m), and for the Global Alliance for Livestock
Veterinary Medicines (9 grants totalling $169m) to produce livestock medicines and vaccines sold by the
private sector to African farmers.
GERMANY 154 8 grants for the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) to develop supply chains
for African cashew and rice farmers and other projects ($57m), and another three grants for the German
Investment Corporation to work on African cotton and coffee farming ($47m), amongst others.

INDIA 98 Total of 33 grants to a variety of grantees including three grants to PRADAN ($34m for women farmers
training), and three grants to BAIF ($16m) to give farmers access to the latest livestock breeding technolo-
gies.

NETHER- 95 Mostly for five grants to the Wageningen University for agronomic research on grain legumes, supporting
LANDS digital farming and other projects ($57m).

CANADA 74 A total of 20 grants mostly towards universities to ensure adoption of new technologies, develop commer-
cial cassava seed supply chains in Tanzania, and to produce vaccines for livestock diseases, amongst other
programmes.

AUSTRA- 61 A total of 24 grants mostly to universities and research centres (including $30 million for the University of
LIA Queensland) to develop sorghum and cowpea hybrids for Africa, and provide genetically improved cattle,
amongst other programmes.

CHINA 48 Mostly for the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (two grants totalling $33 million) to develop new
rice varieties for farmers across the world.
UGANDA 46 Mostly for RUFORUM (two grants totalling over $30 million to support agricultural research uni-
versities in the region). RUFORUM was established as a programme of the Rockefeller Founda-
tion in 1992 and became an independent Regional University Forum in 2004.

KENYA 43 Grants for Farm Concern International to create market-oriented value chains for a
number of crops, and to a number of agribusiness companies active in the region to do
the same.

TOTAL TOP 10 2,742 $US2.7 billion, or almost half of all agriculture funding from Gates went to grantees in these 10
countries: over 90% to countries in the North.

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