Our Principles
Acceleration
As an accelerator, we are driven by the stark challenges that smallholder farmers face in cultivating crops under increasingly uncertain and difficult conditions. We are also propelled by optimism and driven by our mission to develop improved crops for smallholders and reduce the “time to market” for them to access, and benefit from, these innovations.
Collaboration
Partnerships are essential to our work. Using an open innovation approach, we aim to convene a range of partners and technical providers which bridge sectors and markets. These alliances will help us co-develop cutting-edge, improved varieties and build an enabling environment to ensure they can reach smallholder farmers.
Access
At every step, we aim to advance smallholder farmers accessing improved crops that meet their specific needs. Only when smallholders and our local partners inform our research priorities, will our efforts be meaningful and reflect how issues like climate change, poverty, and gender inequality affect their lives and livelihoods.
It’s time to close the agricultural innovation gap for good.
Gates Ag One believes all lives have equal value and exists to accelerate agricultural innovations for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Through an open innovation approach, we aim to strengthen the crop science ecosystem and work collaboratively to position agriculture as a sustainable solution to global challenges.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Gates Foundation, our team brings deep experience in product development, regulatory science, stewardship and technical support. We share a clear purpose: to deliver solutions that evolve with smallholder farmers’ needs.
Collaboration, not competition, delivers the best results.
We focus on key crops and regions with high potential for impact. Our open innovation model fosters knowledge-sharing and co-development, creating a more inclusive and resilient agricultural R&D ecosystem.
By crowdsourcing global expertise, we aim to drive progress across social, environmental, and economic dimensions for smallholder farmers.
Our areas of focus
Our current scientific areas of focus include improving the efficiency of photosynthesis, maximizing the uptake of crop nutrients like nitrogen, protecting crop yields from stressors like pests and disease, and increasing yields of crops most important to smallholder farmers.
“Improving the biology of crops offers solutions that are affordable, renewable, and scalable for African smallholders.”
Joe Cornelius, CEO, Gates Ag One, via Agri-Pulse
Our Partnerships
ACIA
ACIA (Alliance for Cowpea Improvement in Africa) brings together partners across West Africa to accelerate the development and delivery of improved cowpea varieties. Focused on farmer-prioritized traits like pest resistance and drought tolerance, the Alliance is working to increase cowpea’s contribution to nutrition, incomes, and resilience for millions of smallholder farmers.
ENSA
ENSA (Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture) is advancing biological nitrogen fixation in cereal crops by harnessing natural symbioses between plants and microbes. The goal is to reduce fertilizer dependence, improve soil health, and offer more sustainable, affordable options for smallholders facing rising input costs and climate-related challenges.
RIPE
RIPE (Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency) focuses on boosting crop yields by improving photosynthesis —the natural process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. Through cutting-edge research and global collaboration, RIPE aims to enhance productivity in key food crops, helping smallholders grow more with limited resources.
CASS
CASS (Cassava Source-Sink) is an international research project focused on dramatically improving cassava yields for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The project brings together 11 global partners to enhance the plant’s source-sink dynamics (how cassava converts sunlight into energy and stores it in its roots) to deliver higher-yielding, more nutritious cassava varieties.
CWC
CWC (Cassava Whitefly Control) is an international partnership working to combat the cassava whitefly, a pest that threatens yields and spreads devastating viral diseases across sub-Saharan Africa. The project seeks to develop resilient cassava varieties and sustainable solutions to protect a crop essential to food security and smallholder livelihoods.
SUYIMAR
SUYIMAR (Sustainable Yield Improvements for Maize in Africa Research) brings together multidisciplinary teams to unlock the genetic potential of maize and raise yield ceilings for African farmers. By aligning research with real-world challenges, the initiative aims to deliver durable, sustainable gains in maize productivity under variable conditions.