Worldwatch Institute Receives $1.3 Million From Gates Foundation
Worldwatch Institute Receives $1.3 Million From Gates Foundation
The Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute has announced a $1.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a two-year study of agricultural innovations in sub-Saharan Africa.
In partnership with organizations including World Neighbors, Heifer International, and Slow Food International, the project will examine practical ways to create sustainable food security. Research topics will include the use of rain harvesting, efficient irrigation, micro dams, and cover cropping to address freshwater shortages as well as the involvement of women farmers in all levels of decision making.
The project will culminate in the release of State of the World 2011: Nourishing the Planet, the twenty-seventh edition of the institute's annual report. Information about the ongoing research also will be made available online, allowing farmers, scientists, government officials, and others to discuss the findings.
"Agricultural development is at a crossroads," said Worldwatch president Christopher Flavin. "The current crisis offers a window of opportunity for refocusing the world's attention on food, agriculture, and rural areas and for reestablishing food security as a global priority. We look forward to bringing Worldwatch's signature multidisciplinary approach to this groundbreaking project."
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