Gates wrote, "It sounds funny, but I mean it when I say I'm happy with chickens,".
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He writes in his blog, "Of course there is no single correct answer, and the face of poverty varies in different places,".
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"But through my activities together with the foundation, I have met many people in poor countries who raise chickens and I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of poultry ownership,".
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"It is quite clear to me that anyone living in extreme poverty will be better off if they raise chickens."
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The reason Gates chooses chickens, because he thinks chickens are cheap and easy to maintain, a good investment, eating chicken (and eggs) is good for us, and those poultry can create income that empowers women to become entrepreneurs active in their environment.
According to Chris Weller's report on Tech Insider, "Through research and travels to West Africa, Gates found that after three months, an owner of 8 to 10 chickens could reach 40 piyik,".
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"At the price of US $ 5 per chicken, as Gates observes in West Africa, a poultry owner can earn at least US $ 1,000 per year, while the extreme poverty limit is around US $ 700 per year."
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Melinda Gates agrees with her husband. That is the reason their foundation (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) partner with Heifer International, a charity donating livestock to poor families around the world with the goal of helping 30 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa to keep chickens.