Monthly Archives: May 2011

Small Farms, Big Role

How big should a farm be? Many people assume smaller farms are significantly less efficient than larger farms, and attribute this to economies of scale. Not so.  Much research demonstrates that many farm activities do not exhibit true economies of …
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Small Farmers Are the Answer

This blog was written by Bill Gates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is posted here with their permission. On May 24, I’ll be giving a speech in Washington, D.C . to draw attention to farming families in …
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They Know the Solution

She was one of at least 40 landless women who demanded to meet with us that day.  They had heard that we would be visiting their village to talk with women in self-help groups (SHG) who had participated in the …
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Rural Women & Agricultural Land Conversions in China

China’s unprecedented economic growth and rapid urbanization have created a massive demand for arable land to be converted to real estate or industrial development.  In parallel, local government officials and Village Collective cadres typically favor conversions because local public expenditures …
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