We all know that Bill Gates is the richest man in this world. Just imagine if he faces a situation wherein he has to live on $2 per day. What would he do as a billion people in the world do? This was the same topic that Bill Gates discussed on his blog, GatesNotes. The answer that Gates had given was very funny. Bill Gates wrote he would raise chickens.

Explaining his answer, Gates wrote: “Through my work with the (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), I’ve met many people in poor countries who raise chickens, and I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of owning these birds. It’s pretty clear to me that just about anyone who’s living in extreme poverty is better off if they have chickens.”

He would do this for four main reasons:

• Chickens are easy to take care of and are very cheap.
• Chickens are good investment source.
• Eating chicken and its eggs is good for our health.
• They have the capability of generating income that empowers women to take entrepreneurial roles.

He went on writing about his foundation that is working toward creating sustainable market systems for poultry in sub-Saharan Africa.

Reports add that Bill Gates, “Through research and trips to West Africa, he has found that after a period of three months, a typical owner of eight to 10 chickens can yield a flock of 40 chicks. With a sale price of $5 per chicken, which Gates notes is typical in West Africa, an owner can earn over $1,000 a year. The extreme-poverty line, meanwhile, hovers around $700 a year.”

Melinda Gates supports her husband on this and hence, their foundation has partnered with Heifer International, who together does the charity of donating livestock to poor families across the globe. The current goal of the partners is to help 30% of families in Sub-Saharan Africa to raise chickens. “It sounds funny, but I mean it when I say that I am excited about chickens,” Gates writes.