Agriculture/natural capital
What we grow, where and how we grow it, and what we eat. Plus how we can protect and enhance our natural environment including biodiversity.
Cooperatives and appellations: addressing the gap between the cost of coffee and farmer income.
The gap between coffee price and farmer income needs bridging. Can Co-operatives and appellations help.
Sustainable food: ingredient diversification and reformulation really helps
"Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with, and perhaps the most dangerous thing for society to be without". William Sloane Coffin Jnr The food industry has the potential to make a massive difference in terms of making our agricultural system more sustainable. And
Should Agtech companies be worried about farmers right to repair?
The debate around the "right to repair" for farm machinery has been rumbling on for some time. This week we consider what it might mean for the companies that produce the specialist agricultural equipment.
Coffee, deforestation and new supply chains
It's August, and it's about coffee, and specifically about sustainability in coffee (two of my favourite topics) so for the first time we are highlighting a conference.
When a focus on productivity leads to system inefficiency
Rethinking how we view 'success' in farming could ensure the global population has sufficient nutrients.
Feed animals differently = feed an extra billion+
Agricultural reform could ensure the global population has sufficient nutrients.
Processed foods - from cost advantage to competitive disadvantage
High Fat, salt or sugar content ultra-processed foods have been a major contributor to the growing obesity pandemic. Calls are growing to shift to healthier options.
Making money from coffee waste
Global coffee production delivers more than 23 million tons of waste every year. There are innovative uses, including using it as a feedstock in biodigesters, and potentially as a raw material for the production of higher value nutraceuticals.
What investors can do to improve our soil (and why)
Investors need to care about the state of our soil. It's not a problem taking place 'over there'. It impacts us directly, via the food we grow on the soils in our home region, and indirectly, through the food we import. Impacting the supply chains of all companies in the food industry.
Healthy soil elsewhere drives our economy.
Europe relies on the world for it's imported low value agricultural raw materials. Which means that our way of life is supported by soil health, not just within our own region, but globally.
Why we need to cut fertiliser use
Yes, fertiliser is really important, its a big part of the 'green revolution' that enables us to feed the world. Fertiliser runoff pollutes our waterways and excess fertiliser can pollute and deplete our soils. And, for farmers, if they use too much, its wasted. An expense they didn't need to make.
Precision agriculture, producing more with less?
There are ways of growing more with less, and precision agriculture is an important contributor to this. We need to focus more on these “easy” wins, but we also need to do so in a way that respects the financial reality faced by many farmers.