While we were in Des Moines presenting at the Forum, Bill Gates, co-chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was in Des Moines at the 2009 World Food Prize Symposium. He gave an outstanding speech today that focused on Productivity and Sustainability in agriculture. He touched on many of the same concerns we have voiced about hunger and poverty, as well as technology and the environment.

As Mr. Gates spoke, I began to think about the opportunity we have to impact the world.  At TerraManus Technologies, LLC, we know that the answer to poverty and world hunger isn’t simply found. We know poverty alleviation must begin with agricultural development in rural areas. We believe that small farm families can progressively work their way out of poverty when they have access information, technology, and to high-quality agricultural tools, and this is precisely what Bill Gates was saying today! He said, “The next Green Revolution must be guided by small-holder farmers, adapted to local circumstances, and sustainable for the economy and the environment. Farmers need new seeds, of course. But they tell us they also need new tools and training.” He said, “If farmers can get what they need to feed their families and sell their surplus, hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest people can build themselves a better life. It will take passion and focus and a sustained sense of urgency.”

We have that shared vision, that shared goal and that shared passion which has turned into a crusade.

In agriculture, nothing is more powerful than water. It can produce wealth or devastation. It can transport much needed moisture and nourishment or wash away valuable topsoil leaving cropland unprotected and vulnerable. In poorer nations the immediate needs for fertile soil and solutions to hunger are what drive the course of action. TerraStar Technology addresses both soil erosion and water conservation.

We will strive to work together with others to achieve a proper balance between productivity and sustainability.

We will empower people to feed themselves to establish long-term food security by using our innovative, proprietary technologies locally, nationally, and globally.

The American Food Venture Forum (AFVF) is the only venture capital and angel investor event in the country focused solely on the food industry and value-added agriculture. The AFVF leverages Iowa’s status as a top agricultural state to draw both innovative companies and leading venture capital firms to the event.