Innovation and investment have really taken off since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a food and ag thought leader.
Food and agriculture thought leader Mary Shelman says that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of change in the industry faster than ever. “More about how we do remote work, in particular now, moving into the automation because of concerns over workers health.”
Shelman says that the top trends of transformational technology, consumer demands, sustainability, and more and new capital flowing to ag and food will continue to accelerate. “In particular, the investors today see these new opportunities for disruption and above market returns.”
Historically, ag has not been appealing to outside investors, but that has changed as significant investments are being made by private equity firms, governments for food security, and impact investors.