Plant Biology as a Natural Solution
Plant science research can sustainably transform a crop’s productivity and its adaptive capacity to climate stress for smallholder farmers. The stakes are high, and there is no time to lose.
Demand for smallholder-focused innovation is already substantial — and increasing. One in four people on the planet will live in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, yet yields on the continent are only 15-20 percent of those in similar growing regions.
Despite this, conventional research and development often neglects the priorities and needs of smallholders if the risk is too high or the road to commercialization too uncertain. Gates Ag One uses patient capital and our unique convening power to change this.
