UPDATE: It may be to do with modelling a sustainable approach to agriculture:
In January 2020, The Land Report announced the launch of a sustainability standard that was developed by US farmland owners and operators. Called Leading Harvest, the organization’s goal is to create a sustainability standard thatcan be implemented across the greatest swath of agricultural acreage. Currently, more than 2 million acres in 22 states and an additional 2 million acres in seven countries are represented. Among the participants in the 13-member Sustainable Agriculture Working Group are Ceres Partners, Hancock Natural Resources Group, The Rohaytn Group, and UBS Farmland Investors.
Not surprisingly, one of Leading Harvest’s other inaugural members is a Cascade entity called Cottonwood Ag Management. Committing the resources to launch this all-important standard validates the assertion that Cascade supports sustainable strategies that advance resiliency and efficiency, retain talent, and reduce regulatory burdens.
Although the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has no ties whatsoever to Cascade or its investments, it also has a farmland initiative: Gates Ag One, which has established its headquarters in the Greater St. Louis area. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Gates Ag One will focus on research that helps “smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and make food production in low- and middle-income countries more productive, resilient, and sustainable.”
- htp: JD
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- a feared stockmarket collapse?
- hope of grants and tax reliefs from the next US Goverment as it seeks to support farmers?
Similarly, Warren Buffett has been investing in railways for years - he took over the BNSF Railway Company over a decade ago. https://financhill.com/blog/investing/which-railroad-does-warren-buffett-own - a long-term buy for when roads become less economical? An investment in land because as Will Rogers said, they're not making any more of it?
1 comment:
JD comments on the update above:
I could see that Gates or his representative are claimingto be researching sustainable development to help small farmers - "......will focus on research that helps “smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and make food production in low- and middle-income countries more productive, resilient, and sustainable.”
But I very much doubt it. He is not one to share what he knows, he likes to have a monopoly.
In any case he is a bit late to the table with any ideas on the subject.
Fritz Schumacher did it years ago with his "Small Is Beautiful" book and his projects in Africa.
Luther Burbank was an expert on seed development and was responsible for lots of new species https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luther-Burbank
Rupert Sheldrake has also worked on innovative agricultural techniques https://inclusiveresponsibility.earth/book/chapter-1
In India Dr Vandana Shiva is working on the development of small scale farming, Swami Ram Dev has a multi million dollar business called Patanjali and is also working on sustainable small scale agriculture and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has been helping the small scale farmers for years. I am sure there are many others we do not know about.
It is nothing new of course, William Cobbett believed in sustainable agriculture 200 years ago!
Gates has a lot of catching up to do but will the GMO merchants allow it?
Here is an interview with Dr Vandana Shiva from 4th May 2020 -
https://www.rt.com/shows/going-underground/487626-coronavirus-war-treating-shiva/
She doesn't care much for Billy Gates!
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