BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION: Global Development Program (Agricultural Development)

The foundation's Agricultural Development initiative aims to help smallholder farmers in developing countries improve their productivity and gain access to markets. The Foundation believes advances in bioscience, technology, and farming strategies that are developed specifically for local conditions can help. They hope success for smallholder farmers will lead to a long-term reduction in famine and help lift hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty. Funding will focus on four areas: Develop and apply new technologies; Increase availability and adoption of inputs suited to local conditions; Link small farmers to markets; Advocate for improved resources and policies for agriculture. DEADLINES: Please note that the foundation only makes Agricultural Development grants through requests for proposals (RFPs). Open RFPs can be found here.