Microsoft founder Bill Gates last year became the largest single farmer in the United States. Gates continues to buy land and bet on these assets, but why?
The Microsoft founder acquired farmland through his investment manager Cascade Investment for more than 10 years. Last year, Gates owned nearly 98 thousand hectares in 10 states. At the same time, it contained 10,400 hectares of transitional land and 500 hectares of recreational land.
Considering that Bill Gates is one of today’s greatest philanthropists, and has a very firm opinion on many global issues, among them the climate crisis, does Gates anticipate a global food crisis?
The pandemic crisis, and more recently the Ukraine war, have had a brutal impact on global supply chains, causing shortages of some basic commodities in some parts of the world. On the other hand, the severe drought, which is currently afflicting Europe in a way not seen in decades, has affected crops and their productivity.
On the other hand, it may just be an investor move, as farmland is an asset with strong returns on two fronts, first because it can come from rent or income generation, and second because it is valued as an asset when sold.
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