People, institutions, and technology: A personal view of the role of foundations in international agricultural research and development 1960-2010

► Rockefeller and Ford Foundations funded developing country agriculture for 50 years. ► The Gates Foundation now spends 10 times more annually on global agriculture. ► Agriculture is characterized by exceedingly large temporal and spatial variability. ► Transfer of technology, policy and institutions has limited value; local capacity is required.