ESG

The blended-finance impact vehicle was initiated by the UN and has made five investments with underlying commodities such as cocoa, hazelnuts and timber.

The vehicle will invest in 10 venture capital funds across food and ag, production and mobility in North America, Europe and Asia.

The British fund manager anticipates strong interest in the vehicle, which will combine returns from commercial forestry, carbon credits and asset appreciation.

The bloc’s farm-to-fork strategy includes strong environmental targets, but simply creating organic supply will not be enough to sustainably reconfigure its food supply chain.

A funding round for Sea Forests, backed by MIRA, demonstrates that investors are keen to find ESG-positive investments in agriculture even if they carry risk.

Sheep industry ‘will not shy away’ from questions over sustainability as regular performance benchmarks will be established to monitor progress.

Several of the most talked-about topics feature in the five most popular stories from the first quarter of 2021.

Return rates delivered by the 2008-vintage vehicle were undisclosed but managing director Joe Sanderson says figures in the 15% to 20% range are ‘not uncommon’ in the sector.

The $286bn pension will source private equity co-investments through its already-existing program.

Managing director Olly Hughes tells Agri Investor about the decades-long tailwinds the firm sees in the timberland space and the expansion strategy it is on the cusp of executing.