The Seattle Times on Sunday examined efforts by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “to boost the levels of vitamins and minerals in crops many Africans rely on for the bulk of their diets.”

“The approach epitomizes Gates’ belief in the power of science to combat hunger, and mirrors many of the giant philanthropy’s other investments in improved seeds and fertilizers. But some agricultural experts are skeptical that tweaking nutrient levels and other tech-heavy approaches will make much of a dent in malnutrition, because they ignore the complex social, political and economic roots of the problem,” the newspaper writes (Doughton, 8/7).