HughPickens.com [hughpickens.com] writes:
James Vincent reports at The Verge that Bill Gates' philanthropic efforts are usually greeted with near-universal praise, but a recent attempt by the US billionaire to donate 100,000 chickens
ruffled some feathers in Bolivia which has refused the donation [theverge.com], describing Gates' gift as "offensive." "He does not know Bolivia’s reality to think we are living 500 years ago, in the middle of the jungle not knowing how to produce," said César Cocarico, Bolivia's minister of land and rural development. "Respectfully, he should stop talking about Bolivia, and once he knows more, apologize to us." Gates says that it’s pretty clear to him that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens and the Microsoft co-founder says
chickens are better than computers or the internet for reducing poverty [abc.net.au], because they are inexpensive, reproduce, and supply food and revenue with their eggs and meat. "They are easy and inexpensive to take care of. Many breeds can eat whatever they find on the ground (although it’s better if you can feed them, because they’ll grow faster)," writes Gates adding that
chickens are a good investment [gatesnotes.com]. "Suppose a new farmer starts with five hens. One of her neighbors owns a rooster to fertilize the hens’ eggs. After three months, she can have a flock of 40 chicks. Eventually, with a sale price of $5 per chicken—which is typical in West Africa—she can earn more than $1,000 a year, versus the extreme-poverty line of about $700 a year."
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