Blog Post Debunks Myth That ‘Africa’s Farmers Will Always Be Poor’

In a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Impatient Optimists” blog post, Mercy Karanja, senior program officer and senior regional adviser to East Africa for Agriculture Development at the foundation writes, “Following the theme of this year’s Annual Letter by Bill and Melinda Gates, I would like to debunk the myth that Africa’s farmers will always be poor. … Of course, for this myth to be truly debunked, the right conditions need to be in place for farmers to seize opportunities and make a good living. That is why civil society across Africa — supported by NGOs like ONE and ActionAid, and individuals like Nigerian singer D’Banj — have come together as part of the #DoAgric campaign to ask governments to provide the support necessary to enable farmers to make a good living. … This July’s African Union summit provides the opportunity to commit that support and kill off once and for all the myth that Africa’s farmers will always be poor” (1/28).

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