The Australian | 25 May 2026

Global AgInvesting - the world’s largest agriculture investment conference - is coming to Brisbane, bringing together investors representing more than $10 trillion in assets under management

Australia’s agriculture sector is increasingly attracting the attention of some of the world’s largest institutional investors, with global capital moving more directly into food production, water and natural assets as investors search for long-duration real assets tied to inflation, sustainability and resource security.

That shift will be on display in Brisbane in June when Global AgInvesting (GAI) - the world’s largest agriculture investment conference - is held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time.

The conference, which has run for nearly two decades across financial centres including New York, London and Tokyo, will bring together institutional investors, fund managers and agribusiness leaders representing more than $10 trillion in assets under management.

Investors expected to attend include APG Asset Management, one of Europe’s largest pension investors managing more than $1 trillion in assets, Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), which manages around $300 billion in retirement assets, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private-sector investment arm with more than $200bn in assets and investment exposure.

The move comes as institutional investors increasingly reassess traditional portfolio allocations and look more closely at real assets linked to food production, water security and climate resilience.

“For years, many of Australia’s leading agricultural fund managers and agribusinesses travelled to New York, London and Tokyo to connect with global capital through Global AgInvesting,” portfolio director for Global AgInvesting Jonathan Levin said.

“We believe the market has now reached an inflection point where it makes sense to bring the world’s institutional investors directly to Australia.

“Investors globally are looking for scalable real assets tied to food production, water, natural capital and long-term sustainability, and Australia increasingly sits at the centre of that conversation.”

The shift reflects broader changes underway across institutional investing globally.

Agriculture viewed as defensive

As higher interest rates and market volatility pressure traditional private equity and commercial real estate strategies, agriculture and natural capital are increasingly being viewed as defensive, inflation-linked assets with low correlation to mainstream markets.

Australian agriculture is also benefiting from growing global demand for food security and reliable export supply chains.

Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector now generates around $100bn in annual production value, employs about 300,000 people and exports roughly 70% of what it produces.

That export orientation, combined with proximity to Asia and Australia’s reputation for premium food production, is helping drive investor interest.

“Australia’s agriculture sector has been reliant on international capital and export markets from its very beginnings,” Argyle Group chairman and chief investment officer Kim Morison said.

“We’ve recently benefitted from some fantastic long-term investment in farmland, water and processing facilities, which have further built scale, productivity and regional economies.

“On the world stage, Australia does two things really well - mining and agriculture.”

Morison said the conference would provide an opportunity to showcase the scale of Australian agriculture and the sophistication of local operators and investment managers.

Water a strong theme

The Brisbane event will focus on themes including water and natural capital, agtech and innovation, food security, supply chains and sustainable agriculture.

One of the strongest themes emerging globally is the growing institutional focus on water.

Australia has developed one of the few systems globally where water rights can be separated from land and traded independently — creating what many investors now view as a scarce, investable asset tied directly to agricultural production and climate variability.

That market is now estimated to be worth more than $50bn.

The conference also reflects a reversal in how capital is flowing into the sector.

For decades, Australian agriculture managers largely travelled offshore to raise institutional capital. Increasingly, global investors are now coming directly to Australia to assess opportunities on the ground.

Part of that process will involve investor-only tours across Queensland ahead of the conference, including visits through the Central Queensland Highlands and the Toowoomba-Lockyer Valley region.

Delegates will visit large-scale cattle, cropping and horticulture operations, logistics hubs and export infrastructure as investors assess the operational sophistication underpinning Australian agriculture.

“One of the most important parts of agricultural investing is understanding the asset beyond a spreadsheet,” Levin said.

“These tours give investors the opportunity to experience the scale, operational sophistication and supply chain infrastructure that underpin Australian agriculture firsthand.

“Whether it’s irrigated horticulture, cotton, beef production or export logistics, Queensland offers a unique combination of productivity, innovation and access to global markets that investors increasingly want to see up close.”

The growing institutional focus on Australian agriculture also comes as local superannuation funds remain relatively underexposed to the sector despite managing more than $3 trillion in retirement savings.

That gap is increasingly attracting attention as offshore pension funds and sovereign investors deepen their exposure to Australian agriculture, water and natural assets.

“As markets become more volatile and resource constraints become more visible, investors are looking for assets that are both essential and finite,” Levin said.