Ag's Global Meetup

摘要

Every October the World Food Prize brings top ag leaders, farmers, and activists to Des Moines, Iowa. At the Community Food Security Coalition meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2009, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack drew boos when he disagreedwith an activist who called crop biotechnology dangerous and ineffective. "You all see one answer. I talk to other people who see completely different answers," Vilsack responded. Two days later, the World Food Prize gathering in Des Moines heard from one of those other people - billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates. Gates said idealists have tried to restrict the spread of biotechnology into sub-Saharan Africa, ignoring how it could reduce hunger and poverty. "Productivity or sustainability. They say you have to choose. I believe it's a false choice," said Gates.