Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced on Thursday that he will lead a new environmental organization funded by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, aimed at improving Africa's food production and doubling output. Annan expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to address the challenges faced by millions of small-scale farmers in Africa alongside his fellow Africans. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, established last year with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, appointed Annan as its first chairman. This African-led group, based in Nairobi, Kenya, aims to support small-scale farmers and their families in fighting poverty and hunger by increasing farm productivity and incomes sustainably. Annan stated that the organization's focus will be on collaborating with governments and farmers to enhance local and regional agricultural markets, improve irrigation, soil health, and farmer training, as well as support the development of new seed systems that can withstand the harsh African climate. He emphasized that the group will not promote the use of genetically modified seeds, which have sparked controversy in some African nations, but will instead work towards enhancing disease resistance in existing seeds on the continent. Annan expressed his optimism that agricultural productivity could potentially double or even triple within the next 10-20 years, stressing that this vision is not merely a dream but a goal that will be actively pursued. The Alliance expressed its support for the goals outlined in the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which aims to achieve a 6 percent annual increase in food production by 2015. The group plans to implement agricultural changes that have proven successful in Asia and Latin America. During his time at the United Nations, Annan frequently highlighted the connection between Africa's struggling agriculture sector and its ongoing issues with hunger and poverty. Over the past five years, the number of undernourished children in Africa has increased by approximately 12 percent. Annan, who is from Ghana, completed a decade-long term as UN secretary-general last year.