Global Philanthropy

Support Governments in Developing Agriculture and Rural Policies

$15,240,724 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, 2008

To provide accurate, up-to-date information about soil resources and their management to support sound decision and policymaking.

$1,000,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to the German Marshall Fund of the United States, 2009

For improving U.S. trade and aid policy vis-a-vis developing countries.

$399,430 from the Rockefeller Foundation to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, 2008

To identify Chinese agricultural technologies most relevant to African smallholder farmers and disseminate research among influential African policymakers in preparation for Forum for China-Africa Collaboration (FOCAC).

Promote Agricultural Production

$6,728,806 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Rural Development Institute, 2008

To help landless women agricultural laborers and their families in rural India to increase food security and income through secure land access and community gardens.

$3,400,000 from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to the Nature Conservation Trust, 2008

To purchase 2311 hectares to expand agricultural research and development, and for support of seed system for resources for poor farmers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

$800,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to the Michigan State University, 2008

For developing crop standards and analyzing information systems to improve trade for African farmers.

$399,998 from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, 2008

To build capacity of smallholder farmers in southern Africa to develop, produce, and market varieties of food legumes of quality acceptable to processors and exporters.

$305,680 from the Lemelson Foundation to Kickstart International, 2007

To support the establishment of a technology development center and the development of three manual pump products for irrigated agriculture in Africa.

$300,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation to the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture Limited, 2008

For efforts to enhance national and regional capacity of countries in East and Southern Africa to manage trans-boundary animal diseases and improve pastoralism in the region by establishing platforms for dialogue, learning and disease management and enhancing policy responsiveness.

$105,000 from the McKnight Foundation to the EMESCO Development Foundation, 2008

To improve food security and incomes in rural Ugandan households by equipping women with knowledge and skills, and supporting them with high yielding crop varieties and animal breeds.

$100,000 from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to the BioVision Foundation, 2008

For programs assisting poor farmers in Africa to improve human, animal, plant and environmental health in regions.

$13,000 from the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Inc., to Saint Gabriel Parish, 2007

For purchase of oxen, ploughs, plantings and other agricultural materials to re-educate people in farming skills and increase food production.

Connect Farmers to Markets

$923,375 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the World Food Programme, 2008

To design development and emergency programs that improve small farmers access to markets.

$500,000 from the Omidyar Network Fund, Inc., to the International Finance Corporation, 2007

To fund an agribusiness program in East Africa and securitization/grassroots business linkage pilot in India within IFC's Grassroots Business Initiative.

$250,000 from the Ford Foundation to SaveAct Trust, 2008

To expand savings and credit group-based financial services program for rural poor, develop program's life skills training component and contribute to small grants program for farmers, with focus on low-income women.

$198,300 from the Rockefeller Foundation to TechnoServe, 2008

Toward piloting East African Agribusiness Accelerator, innovative institutional arrangement to coordinate provision of technical assistance and impact investment capital to rural enterprises in East Africa whose business success can provide job opportunities and improved incomes for smallholder farmers and poor communities.

$75,000 from the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation to Root Capital, 2008

For microfinance projects for sustainable agriculture in Latin America.

Promote Sustainable Management of Agriculture and Natural Resources

$300,000 from the Ford Foundation to the National Union of Small Farmers, 2008

For tie-off support for Farmer-to-Farmer program to promote more sustainable and productive agricultural and agroforestry practices in Atlantic Coast regions of Nicaragua.

$250,000 from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to the Foundation for Irrigation and Sustainable Development, 2008

To improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers and HIV/AIDS-affected households in rural areas of Lilongwe District through promoting sustainable agricultural production and income diversification activities.

$60,000 from the Christensen Fund to Consultoria Tecnica Comunitaria, 2007

To value maize diversity and sustainable agriculture in eleven mountain and lowland Raramuri and Tepehuan/Odami communities including Maize Festival and photo exhibition, and community training and mobilization including for meadow restoration as farmer reserves for valuable plants.

$50,000 from the McKnight Foundation to the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group, 2008

To assist women living near Amani Nature Reserve in Tanzania to earn income through sale of sustainably-produced, nature-based products, and to empower them to play active role in management of natural resources around them.