Louisa Burwood-Taylor
European Investment Bank and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, committed to Dasos Timberland Fund II ahead of its final close.
While engagement with the process is encouraging, the private agri investment market is having to navigate a patchwork of responsible investment guidelines already established and still taking shape.
The UK timberland fund manager will target institutional investors for the first time in the hope of raising between £200m and £300m overall.
The global development group is dedicating 60% of its budget to help 500m farmers in developing nations, according to a UN Climate Summit announcement.
The developing country focus of the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems is a bit narrow, but the principles are still significant, according to Paul McMahon, managing director at SLM Partners.
Mark Mansley, investment manager at the £2.2bn Environment Agency Pension Fund, tells Agri Investor about the fund's experience in agriculture and timber investing so far.
The timber multi-management firm's fund recently made a secondary co-investment.
The Illinois-based venture capital firm plans to target up to $100m for its biggest fund yet.
Otter, Open Prairie, RockPort and Pangaea are among the VC firms backing the company focused on plant bacteria beneficial for growth.
A dip in US farmland values and commodities could impact institutional investment appetite – and perhaps spark some Darwinism among buy-and-lease-focused fund managers.