Sustainable Agriculture with a Heart: Plantations International’s Vision for a Better Future: As guardians of large tracts of plantations, Plantations International operates to rigid forestry stewardship standards, ensuring the plantations are managed to strict environmental and social criteria ensuring we are cognizant of our responsibility towards environment protection in ensuring the sustainability of not only our business but also the larger community around us. Through best agricultural practices, we believe our operations present excellent opportunities for economic maximisation and environmental footprint minimization. We are committed to managing land and plantations in a way that keeps illegal logging, forest fires and poor farming practices at bay. We are also determined to increase environmental productivity, from land delineated for agricultural and conservation purposes to resource management.
To put this figure into perspective it is larger than the value of all gold ever mined and the global professionally managed real estate industry. A growing world population driving demand for high quality food coupled with a finite and decreasing supply of arable land means that the agricultural sector will only become more essential over time. There are three key ways investors can get exposure to the sector: by investing in funds that seek to create value by operating and enhancing the asset before exiting and realizing value; by purchasing commodity futures or directly buying and managing agricultural projects.
Despite multiple definitions for food security there are common themes or indicators that tend to appear and underline its characterization. These include food affordability, food availability and accessibility, food quality and safety, and existing natural resources. The FAO and The Economist both measure food security on a country based on these indicators at varying degrees. Food security ought to be a priority for all countries, whether developing or developed. Although low levels of food security are commonly associated with poverty stricken countries they are also found in affluent developed countries as well. Food security rankings despite providing a decent gauge of performance are not without limitations. For example, some of wealthiest countries logically fare well in overall rankings as they have the capability and infrastructure to provide accessible, healthy food to their populations. Yet these high rankings dangerously mask their poor natural resources and resilience rank which measures food import dependency to a small degree. This raises the question, how can a country be food secure when they can be highly dependent on others for their food supply?
With offices, plantations, and representatives across Asia, Europe, and Africa, Plantations International is a multinational plantation and farm management company that specializes in providing sustainable agricultural and forestry or “agroforestry” management services for its clients. Plantations International has clients ranging from private individuals to large landholders and corporate investors. We put teamwork, innovation, and our passion for creating “Ethical & Sustainable Capital” at the heart of everything we do.
The number of people facing undernourishment and severe food insecurity is estimated to have reached 821 million – around one person out of every nine in the world – according to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In addition to contributing to under nutrition, food insecurity also contributes to obesity. Lack of securing healthy nutritious food has resulted in an over reliance on unhealthy processed foods. The problem of obesity is most significant in North America, but it is worrying that even Africa and Asia, which still show the lowest rates of obesity, are also experiencing an upward trend. 1.4 billion hectares of land the equivalent of 28% percent of the world’s agricultural area is used annually to produce food that is lost or wasted. The total volume of water used each year to produce food that is lost or wasted (250km3) is equivalent to three times the volume of Lake Geneva.
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move. Plantations International Global Warming Solutions: The evidence that humans are causing global warming is strong, but the question of what to do about it remains controversial. Economics, sociology, and politics are all important factors in planning for the future.