According to Forbes, Bill Gates is worth $76 billion. But what if he only had $2 a day? He'd raise chickens.
In a recent post on his blog GatesNotes, Mr. Gates outlined why he and his foundation are betting on chickens and working to "help 30 percent of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from just 5 percent now."
Why chickens? The Microsoft cofounder gave four reasons.
1. They're cheap to take care of.
2. They are "a good investment" since they're inexpensive but can reproduce.
3. Eating their eggs is healthy and helps keep malnutrition rates down.
4. They help empower females. Chicken-selling women are "likely to reinvest the profits in their families."
The interest in chickens is a family affair — Mr. Gates' wife Melinda also recently wrote a post on the importance of chicken farming.