November 8, 2023

The first Global AgInvesting (GAI) conference took place in New York City in June 2009. Responding to the global financial crisis, investors were showing increasing interest in real assets with a negative correlation to the stock market and a steady long-term return profile for wealth preservation. Farmland came into focus as a target area for investment, but there was little information to be had when conducting due diligence, including a lack of reliable reporting, a dearth of managers with a track record in the space, and insufficient understanding of the sector as a whole. HighQuest Group, a management consulting and M&A advisory firm specializing in the food and agribusiness sector, began fielding more and more requests from institutional investors looking for guidance in understanding agriculture as an investment opportunity.

These myriad inquiries led to the launch of GAI as a meeting to educate the allocators and to begin the work of building a network of sector-focused professionals, managers, and experts with the goal of establishing agriculture as a distinct asset class. Within a couple months of the initial event in NYC  in 2009, there was great interest by a number of the players to bring it to Europe. The first GAI Europe took place in Geneva in 2010. Subsequently and due to overwhelmingly positive response, the event expanded internationally, with close to 30 events in the last 10 years in New York, Geneva, London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore, and Tokyo.

April’s 2023 GAI New York was the most well-attended event in our fifteen years of connecting the agriculture investment community. With this year’s flagship event behind us, we are looking forward to bringing more expert presentations on the most relevant topics in agriculture investing to our global community.

Looking back, GAI is proud that it continues to fulfill its mission to convene and provide a platform for asset managers and investors to meet and discuss trends and opportunities for investment in the global food and agro-industrial value chain whilst raising ag to a mainstream asset class. It also has, in the words of one of the founders and first attendees of GAI — Michael Whitehead, ANZ Bank, Agribusiness Research/ANZ Client Insights & Solutions (CIS) of Australia – “worked really hard to make sure that it is value for time and value for money for everybody there [at a GAI conference]. 

“…what Global AgInvesting has always done and succeeds in doing, and why I go to it and very few of the others, is that you know at Global AgInvesting you are going to get debate and facts… you will learn so much from it, meet so many people there, be able to ask so many questions, and get exposed to so much globally in the one place.”

Now, as we return to London, 4-5 December, for the 14th annual GAI Europe conference, we invite you to wrap up the year by joining an international gathering of allocators, fund managers, and industry executives who come together to discuss the burgeoning asset class of agriculture and its surrounding themes, such as impact investing, sustainability, agtech innovation, and much more.

Our events are networking-driven, providing ample opportunities for participants to interact with each other, giving ample opportunities to reconnect with friends and colleagues, and make new connections with potential clients, partners, and investors. 

This year’s conference will help to solidify and grow the community of thought leaders who believe in the strong fundamentals of agriculture and are committed to putting real money to work in the space.

A few highlights from this year’s agenda include: 

~ Assessing Opportunities in Western European Food & Agriculture

~ Generating Alpha by Operating Real Assets

~ The Resilience of Farmland as an Asset Class During Turbulent Times – and much more.

You can learn more about Global AgInvesting and our upcoming 14th annual event in London 4-5 December here.