About the Book

Under the pressure of climate and social changes, agriculture is called to play a fundamental role in the world food challenge of the next few decades. A severe reduction of arable land and water scarcity combined with a growing food demand, changes in the dietary preferences in many countries and, more recently, a growing threat to food security and logistics from supply chains interruptions and global trade fragmentation, all require the implementation of processes, techniques, and innovations able to increase productivity and make a better use of scarce resources.

Against this backdrop, a growing number of investors and asset managers have started looking at agriculture as an interesting investment theme to exploit the long-term strategic opportunities emerging from technological innovation and social changes. The industry is undergoing a process of transformation driven, on the one hand, by the emergence of new data and technologies that promise enhancing process efficiency and improve yields and, on the other hand, by an increased attention on the GHG emissions of agricultural processes and the impact of farmland on climate change, water and land scarcity. All these factors call for a radical rethinking of many agriculture business models.

This book provides a detailed overview and analysis of those new technologies with the greatest potential to disrupt agriculture products and processes by improving productivity and the management of food loss and waste, making a more efficient and sustainable use of resources and enhancing food security. Then, it discusses the implications for investors and asset managers, starting with an assessment of the status quo of agriculture investing and providing a thorough description of the agriculture asset class with an emphasis on its distinctive characteristics and the innovations in the technological processes used in agriculture and farming with the greatest potential to obtain long-term sustainable returns.

About the Author: Stefano Gatti is the Antin IP Professor of Infrastructure Finance at the Department of Finance at Bocconi University (Italy). He has been the Director of the Full Time MBA at SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy). His main area of research is corporate finance and investment banking. He has published in these areas including publications in the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Financial Management, the Journal of Applied Corporate Finance and the European Journal of Operational Research. Professor Gatti has acted as a consultant to several financial and non-financial institutions and for the Italian Ministry of the Economy, the Financial Stability Board, The Asian Development Bank, The InterAmerican Development Bank and the OECD/Group of G20. He is financial advisor of the pension fund of health care professions, member of the compliance risk committee of Deutsche Bank and member of the Board of Directors and board of auditors of Italian industrial and financial corporations.

Carlo Chiarella is the Director of the Department of Finance and Accounting at CUNEF Universidad in Madrid (Spain) and a Fellow at the BAFFI CAREFIN Centre for Applied Research on International Markets, Banking, Finance and Regulation of the Bocconi University (Italy). His research focuses on corporate financing and investment decisions, especially in the contexts of capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions. He has authored several articles in these areas including publications in the Journal of Financial Econometrics, the Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money, and the International Review of Economics and Finance.

Vitaliano Fiorillo is a Lecturer in Operations and Technology at SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy). He is a Contract Professor of Management at Bocconi University. At SDA Bocconi he is the Director of AGRI Lab and Director of the Agribusiness Management Development Program. His research activities focus on supply chain management and sustainability with a particular focus on Agribusiness.