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The overall objective of this report is to identify potential interventions to enhance the capacity of newly created private equity funds in agriculture and/or agribusiness in Africa, especially the stimulation of technical assistance to agricultural value chains.
A global food crisis and rapid population growth are making farmland an increasingly attractive investment. Holly Black looks at the options.
Responding to strong demand, asset management firm Land Commodities has plans to launch its first retail farmland fund. The company says it receives around 10 to 20 enquiries from private investors each week.
The increasing dominance of China in Africa - industry, not agriculture. UK and US deserve greater critique.
Chayton already produces 10% of Zambia's soya and 5% of the country's wheat. Over the next 12 months, production will increase to at least 35% and 15% respectively.
At least 100 farmers joined a protest in front of the Department of Agriculture in Quezon City led by the members of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) in the Philippines such as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women), UMA (Union of Agricultural Workers), and the PAMALAKAYA (National Federation of Small Fisherfolks of the Philippines). Also present is the Anakpawis partylist and the National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA)-Youth.
The £35bn BT Pension Scheme is seeking to replace its commodity future exposure with investment in agricultural land
The BT Pension Scheme has acknowledged that investing in agriculture land was a "real challenge" due to concerns over accusations of land grabbing.
Foreign companies from Korea, Qatar, US, UK and China are "secretly" buying up large chunks of NSW farmland by establishing shelf companies, trust funds, and extended settlements to avoid scrutiny.
The £9bn Pension Protection Fund is set to add specialist farmland and timberland fund managers to its investment manager panel to assist its alternative investment programme.
Farming is a sector that Insight Investment, a UK asset manager best known for its expertise in investing in corporate bonds and government debt, has begun to target.
The extent of the surge in UK farmland prices has driven foreign buyers and pension funds to the sidelines, leaving farmers to pay prices more than double those three years ago, property consultancy Savills said.
