The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1.4 billion through 2029 to support the development and deployment of climate-resilient agricultural technologies for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia, regions most vulnerable to increasingly erratic weather patterns.
Announced on the sidelines of the COP29 climate conference, the commitment is targeted at solutions that have already demonstrated impact at scale. Funding will focus on improved soil-health mapping, micro-organism-based bio-fertilisers, drought-tolerant crop varieties, and digital decision-support tools that help farmers better plan around rainfall, pests, and extreme temperatures.
The Foundation highlighted the urgency of the investment, noting that millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa depend almost entirely on rainfall, leaving them exposed to unpredictable weather, prolonged droughts, and flash floods. Without significant adaptation efforts, crop yields in the region could decline by 10–20% by the end of the century.
Gates Foundation representatives stressed that the aim is not to pilot experimental ideas but to scale solutions already working. Previous initiatives—such as mobile-based weather alerts deployed in Kenya and Rwanda—have demonstrated how technology can help farmers make timely planting and harvesting decisions.
Despite the scale of the pledge, it covers only a fraction of the continent’s needs. Africa requires an estimated $50 billion annually for climate adaptation across sectors. The Foundation urged governments and development partners to increase their own commitments to ensure food systems remain productive and resilient under worsening climate pressures.
The funding is expected to be directed through research institutions, agritech innovators, and national agricultural systems already partnering with the Foundation.
