Bill Gates has never worked on a farm, yet this year’s Land Report called him “Farmer Bill.” While Gates may not be skilled in traditional farming, his significant investment in farmland has earned him this title. Gates owns more farmland than anyone else in the U.S., including a 2018 purchase of 14,500 acres of farmland in eastern Washington for $171 million. This land is historically part of the Yakama Nation’s territory.
In total, Bill Gates owns about 242,000 acres of farmland across the United States, valued at over $690 million. This is roughly the same size as Hong Kong and twice the size of the land belonging to the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, highlighting the disparity in land ownership between a single wealthy individual and an entire Native American tribe.
Historical Context and Land Ownership
The United States has a history of land concentration among a few wealthy individuals. Historically, U.S. wealth was built on land taken from Native Americans and worked by enslaved people. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed white settlers to claim 270 million acres of Native American land, amounting to 10% of all U.S. land. This policy enabled generations of white wealth accumulation while excluding Black, Mexican, Asian, and Native American people from its benefits.
Case Study: Ted Turner
Ted Turner, a wealthy media mogul, owns 2 million acres of land, including the largest private herd of buffalo. These buffalo are protected on nearly 200,000 acres of Turner’s ranchland within the boundaries of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty territory, which was once promised as a permanent home for the Lakota people.
Bill Gates Investments and Environmental Claims
Bill Gates’ investments in farmland are managed through Cascade Investment. Gates has stated that his land purchases are driven by investment interests rather than climate change mitigation. Cascade Investment claims to support environmentally sustainable farming and has invested in companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which focus on plant-based proteins. In 2017, Cascade Investment made its largest farmland purchase, buying 61 farming properties from a Canadian investment firm for $500 million.
Subjective Viewpoints
Some critics argue that the concentration of farmland ownership among billionaires like Bill Gates is a modern form of land grabbing, driven by financial interests rather than genuine environmental concerns. They suggest that these investments contribute to the rise of “green capitalism,” where the rich profit from environmental initiatives without substantial knowledge of farming or climate science.
Environmental and Economic Impacts
A study by Oxfam in 2020 found that the world’s richest 1% emit twice as much carbon as the poorest 50%, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the wealthy on climate change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the wealth of billionaires grew significantly, while millions of people faced job losses and economic hardship, exacerbating wealth inequality.
Industrial Agriculture vs. Indigenous Stewardship
Research indicates that Indigenous-managed lands are crucial for biodiversity conservation. Indigenous people tend to manage land based on long-term sustainability and respect for all living things, contrasting with industrial agriculture’s focus on profit. This difference underscores the effectiveness of Indigenous stewardship in maintaining ecological balance.
Conclusion on Bill Gates Farmland Ownership
The ownership of large tracts of farmland by individuals like Bill Gates raises questions about power, wealth concentration, and environmental stewardship. Critics argue that these billionaire landowners wield too much influence over food systems and land use patterns, often at the expense of traditional and Indigenous practices that prioritize sustainability and biodiversity.
Nick Estes, who originally made these comments, is a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico in the field of American studies. He co-founded The Red Nation in 2014 and authored the book “Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock vs. the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance.”
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