News

As euractiv reports the EU together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will work together on a joint initiative to drive research and technical and organisational innovations across agricultural and food systems in developing countries. Both sides consider that more science and innovation is required to address some of the most pressing challenges posed by climate change. This joint initiative will build on the outcomes of the Paris Agreement and the recent COP23 held in Bonn on the role of agriculture in the climate change agenda.

The full article can be found on the euractiv website (see link). Below you will find an excerpt from the article:

The European Union together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged on Tuesday (12 December) more than €500 million over the next three years for research and innovation in agriculture.

The EU, which is the largest donor for development aid, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the larger philanthropist organisation in this field, will work together on a joint initiative to drive research and technical and organisational innovations across agricultural and food systems in developing countries.

Both sides consider that more science and innovation is required to address some of the most pressing challenges posed by climate change. This joint initiative will build on the outcomes of the Paris Agreement and the recent COP23 held in Bonn on the role of agriculture in the climate change agenda.

Among other philanthropists, Bill Gates is one of the stars at the One Planet Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on the two-year anniversary of the Paris climate accord, which saw nearly 200 governments agree to end their heavy reliance on fossil fuels and limit further global warming.

GMOs

Innovations in agriculture may imply the use of GMOs. Bill Gates is known for his support for genetic engineering. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last year, he said that GMOs for Africa are going to make a huge difference, particularly because of climate change.

EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica said that the impact of climate change was especially important for less developed countries, where extreme weather events can cause dramatic yield reductions and even famine.