ESG Priorities Pay Off For Agricultural Private Equity

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

Investors working in the agriculture space have a checklist of priorities when investing in companies, and in recent years, sustainability has become a critical factor. Kevin Schwartz, CEO and managing partner of Paine Schwartz Partners says for them, a solid environmental, social, and governance story is often a key indicator that promotes success and longevity.

Schwartz… “Strategically, what we are investing in is fundamentally a strong sustainability and ESG thesis. And it's that we want to invest in companies that are developing and deploying technologies, products and services or insights that are increasing the productivity of agricultural production systems sustainably. And I can give you examples of that. The second is that we want to be producing healthier and better for you food and beverage products for consumers. The adherence that we have to those two core investment themes in everything we do is critical. So at a strategic level, we are investing in only two investment themes, and those are directly aligned with UNSDGs and ESG goals and objectives.”

Schwartz says this follows the consumer trend of having healthier foods with a lower environmental impact.