Bill Gates to Support ICAR-IARI’s Research, Calls it the ‘Home to Agricultural Future of India’

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, mentioned India in his blog 'Gates Notes', wherein he said that India offers promise for the future and has shown that it is capable of tackling large issues all at once.

In his blog, Gates expressed his belief that, even during a time of multiple crises, the world is capable of making progress on many large problems at once with the right innovations and delivery channels. Typically, he said, he would hear something along the lines of, "There isn't enough time or money to solve both at the same time."

"But India proved all the responses wrong. There is no better proof than the remarkable progress that India has accomplished," he added.

He also stated that the Gates Foundation collaborated with the public sector and CGIAR institutions in India to assist the work of researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa. They discovered a brand-new remedy in chickpea varieties with over 10% higher harvests and greater drought resistance. 

Farmers already have access to one variety, and the institute is presently working on developing more. India is therefore better equipped to continue feeding its citizens and helping its farms even in a warming world. It's not a stretch to state that a field in Pusa is currently home to the agricultural future of India.

We don't yet have all the resources necessary to address issues like climate change, poverty, and health, which is one of the reasons why they appear insurmountable. But I'm confident that we will, in part because of pioneers like the IARI researchers, he continued.

Gates also announced in his journal that he will visit India the following week to observe the work being done by entrepreneurs and innovators. Some researchers are working on innovations that will help the world lessen the impacts of climate change, such as Vidyut Mohan and his team's efforts to convert waste into biofuels and fertilizers in far-flung agricultural communities.

Others are developing fresh strategies to assist people in adjusting to a warmer environment, such as IARI's initiatives to increase the number of drought-tolerant products. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress that's already happening by both the Gates Foundation's and Breakthrough Energy's amazing partners, he added.