Topic Reading-Vol.1550-7/9/2016

Dear MEL Topic Readers,

Can Bill Gates' donation of 100,000 chickens help Africa's poorest?

Chickens are efficient and productive. They lay eggs every day. When they no longer lay eggs, they become healthy meat. No need to walk or care them much. Just feed them, basically.

So the renowned philanthropist, co-founder of Microsoft, has committed to donate 100,000 chickens to poor farmers in sub-Saharan regions. He hopes that chickens will improve their nutrition and income, provided that they grow chickens instead of eating or selling them at once for immediate return.

It sounds like a good initiative but needs to be watched and implemented carefully in the local level. If chickens are that valuable, there must be ones who want to steal them from helpless farmers. Also, if people are so hungry, they may simply fill their immediate needs.

Enjoy reading and thinking how this philanthropic initiative could help farmers in Africa.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/04/africa/chickens-africa-gates/index.html