Extensive Gates partnerships to help small African farmers

The Gates Foundation today announced two significant partnerships and $48 million in grants to benefit small cocoa and cashew farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The two grants - $23 million to the World Cocoa Foundation and $25 million to the German development organization Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH – were awarded in conjunction with $42 million in cash and in-kind contributions from private industry. The grants are part of the Foundation's Agricultural Development initiative, which is working with a wide range of partners in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain, and complement financial support and in-kind contributions from the private sector, NGOs and local governments.