Bill Gates’ 2022 visit is proof that even a billionaire can learn a thing or two about getting his hands dirty and doing the work to make a farm a success. The Forbes Real-Time Billionaire’s list for 2022 shows that Gates is the fifth richest person in the world, with a net worth of approximately $111 billion.
Gates visited Kenyan farmer Mary Mathuli in Makueni County in the southeast of Nairobi last year. A “natural teacher”, Mathuli taught him how to learn by doing it himself. His visit helped him understand how new agricultural inputs and practices can make a big difference for smallholder farmers on the continent.
His mission was to understand how Kenyan farmers, like Mathuli, were faring in the face of climate change.
Hard work pays off
During his visit, the American billionaire planted drought-tolerant seeds, fed and weighed chickens, and used a mobile phone to monitor weather forecasts and local crop prices.
He shared some of his observations: “These were a few of the chores I was given during my visit with Mary Mathuli, a smallholder farmer in rural Kenya. I arrived expecting to hear her talk about the record droughts and smaller harvests many farmers are experiencing throughout Africa,” Gates recalled.
“Instead, to my surprise, she led me out to her fields to show off the innovations that are allowing her to continue to grow crops and earn an income to support her family, despite the drastic changes in rainfall and weather patterns.”
The resilience of the African farmer
Gates said his visit was a personal reminder of how resourceful and resilient African smallholder farmers like Mathuli are.
Battered by years of drought and other extreme weather patterns, smallholder farmers are developing new skills and embracing new technologies to adapt to some of the most challenging conditions for growing crops and raising livestock.
African farmers face huge challenges due to climate change he said. Although sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only about 4% of the world’s carbon emissions, the continent bears the brunt of climate change impacts.
“Climate-related losses on many African farms are more than double those seen globally. In Makueni County, where Mary farms, yields of maize have been falling since 1994, largely due to changes in the weather.
While more innovation is needed to help Africa’s smallholder farmers keep pace with the threats posed by climate change, Mary and other farmers in Kenya are adopting some incredible new tools and practices that can limit crop losses and help their farms thrive even in extreme weather.”
As farms go, Mathuli’s farm is quite small at just 1.6 hectares. An impressed Gates said, “She packs a lot of activities in this space, growing commercial and subsistence food crops and rearing poultry and livestock.
“I was impressed by Mary’s entrepreneurial spirit and her optimism. She appeared to seize every opportunity to try out new technologies and agricultural practices.”
ALSO READ: Rwandan poultry farmer follows in father’s footsteps
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
