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Trends with Benefits #69: The Future of Food with Ammar James

November 19, 2021

Listen Time 27:41 MIN

 

In the last year, global food prices have surged more than 30% and have reached a decade high.1Is this something to be concerned about long-term or is this just the impact of COVID on supply chains? This is the basis of my discussion with my guest this week, Ammar James, Equity Analyst focusing on agriculture, paper and forest at VanEck.

Future of Food

We begin our discussion about Ammar’s career path and going from education in mathematics to investment research and due diligence of the real assets space and his specific focus on agribusiness.

With food inflation in the news a lot lately, I wanted to get a sense from him if this was just something transitory or if there were factors other than COVID impacting supply chains that investors should understand. He noted inflation signals were starting to be seen even before COVID.

One way this generation of consumers is different from prior generations is the demand for sustainability. We delve into what this means for the future of food and how it’s consumed and produced. Ammar shares examples of companies working in food technology, precision agriculture, and agricultural sustainability.

Trend or Fad

Listen for Ammar’s take on farmland investing, crowdfunded private investments, prefab homebuilding, and the metaverse.

Follow Ed Lopez @thatEdLopez on Twitter.

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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

1 Elkin, Elizabeth and Freitas, Tatiana. “Fertilizer Crisis Means Higher Prices for Every Plate of Food.”Bloomberg , 3 Nov 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/higher-fertilizer-prices-mean-more-food-inflation?sref=ikj62tQA

Please note that Van Eck Securities Corporation (an affiliated broker-dealer of Van Eck Associates Corporation) may offer investments products that invest in the asset class(es) discussed in this podcast.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker(s) but not necessarily those of VanEck. Commentaries are general in nature and should not be construed as investment advice. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are valid as of the date of this communication and subject to change without notice. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Any discussion of specific securities/financial instruments mentioned in the commentary is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy these securities. Fund holdings will vary. All indices mentioned are measures of common market sectors and performance. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Information on holdings, performance and indices can be found at vaneck.com.

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. As with any investment strategy, there is no guarantee that investment objectives will be met and investors may lose money. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.

Van Eck Associates Corporation

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

1 Elkin, Elizabeth and Freitas, Tatiana. “Fertilizer Crisis Means Higher Prices for Every Plate of Food.”Bloomberg , 3 Nov 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-03/higher-fertilizer-prices-mean-more-food-inflation?sref=ikj62tQA

Please note that Van Eck Securities Corporation (an affiliated broker-dealer of Van Eck Associates Corporation) may offer investments products that invest in the asset class(es) discussed in this podcast.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker(s) but not necessarily those of VanEck. Commentaries are general in nature and should not be construed as investment advice. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are valid as of the date of this communication and subject to change without notice. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Any discussion of specific securities/financial instruments mentioned in the commentary is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy these securities. Fund holdings will vary. All indices mentioned are measures of common market sectors and performance. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Information on holdings, performance and indices can be found at vaneck.com.

All investing is subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. As with any investment strategy, there is no guarantee that investment objectives will be met and investors may lose money. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.

Van Eck Associates Corporation