Bill Gates pledges $1.4 billion to help farmers adapt to extreme weather in Africa and Asia

Billionaire Bill Gates’ foundation will invest at least $1.4 billion over the next four years to help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia access technologies that enhance resilience to extreme weather.

The funding will support innovations aimed at boosting crop yields, improving livestock production, providing digital advisory services, and restoring degraded land, according to Bloomberg. The announcement comes ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.

“Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable,” Gates, Microsoft co-founder and chair of the foundation, said in a statement. “Investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet.”

Small family farms grow over a third of the world’s food and are disproportionately affected by extreme weather, from droughts to floods, yet less than 1% of public climate finance reaches them.

The foundation’s investment aims to fill this gap and strengthen the resilience of the global food system, which accounts for roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the foundation, the funding aligns with Gates’ vision outlined in his COP30 memo, which emphasises targeted climate investments for maximum human impact.

The initiative also supports the foundation’s long-term goal of lifting millions out of poverty by 2045, advocating a practical, measured approach to tackling climate change rather than a purely “doomsday” narrative.