Agriculture Adapts by ClimateAi ClimateAi

Between 40 to 50% of our population is alive on this planet today thanks to fertilizers. However, fertilizers are also one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters and when managed poorly, can also contribute to the nutrient pollution of lakes, rivers and streams. 
This week, we sat down with Pablo Barrera Lopez, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Communications at Yara International, a leading Norwegian agribusiness and chemical company on the forefront of the sustainable and ethical production of several types of fertilizer. Lopez takes us through the history of the fertilizer industry (hint, modern fertilizers were invented at Yara), how the invention of fertilizer prevented mass hunger, and the complicated relationship of the life-saving product with climate change. Lopez also walks us through the top innovations taking place in the industry to mitigate its impact on climate including everything from renewable-energy fueled fertilizer plants and high-tech precision application tools to better farmer education.
In addition, Lopez works with the World Economic Forum, where he promotes corporate sustainability and works with global youth to help them develop talents and skills to be responsible forces for good in their communities.
For more information: https://www.yara.com/

Angela Santiago is the co-founder and CEO of the Little Potato Company, an innovative and fast growing company focused on colorful, tasty, mini-potatoes that taste delicious. We talk with Angela about the mechanics of the potato world, the obstacles climate change is creating for the industry, and what it takes to build an agriculture business from the ground up, 
This week in Agriculture Adapts
Breeding for diversity and flavor Your french fries, chips, and table potatoes all come from different types of potatoes, specifically bred for their end use Increasing weather uncertainty, more frequent extreme events, and a potato production moving north to escape the heat How small changes in weather can bear significant impact on the way the crop turns out ***
website: The Little Potato Company
facebook: The Little Potato Company
*This episode is a repost

This week we sit down with Stuart Woolf, the President and CEO of Los Gatos Tomatoes, one of the largest tomato processors in the world. Stuart gives us an inside view into the science, technology, and logistical genius that enabled 3x higher yields in the processing tomato industry over the last 50 years, all while reducing labor requirements to a fraction of what they once were. 
We cover everything from decades of tomato seed breeding efforts to the 120 day, 24/7 harvesting sprint-marathon that results in 325 million lbs of tomato paste every year. If ever there was a 1 hour crash course on processing tomatoes, this may very well be it.
Stuart is also the President and CEO of Woolf farming and has served as Chairman of the California League of Food Processors, the Almond Board of California, and of the UC President’s Commission of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Stuart also currently serves on the board of the California Chamber of Commerce, the Western Growers Association, and Marone Bio Innovation.
https://www.woolffarming.com/
http://www.losgatostomato.com/ 

Over the past 10 years, there has been a mass exodus of banks in the UK pulling out of short-term lending to farmers. This has made it harder and more expensive for farmers to get the capital they need to run their business and keep producing essential crops. 
We sit down with Tim Coates, Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of Oxbury Bank, the UK’s only 100% agriculture focused bank to discuss how Oxbury is revolutionizing agriculture banking and the impact this will have on farmers + agriculture sustainability throughout the country and beyond:
The history behind the broken agriculture banking system How technology is enabling cost and time savings for farmers using Oxbury Turning savings into sequestered carbon Driving sustainability effortlessly and automatically at the farm-level Similar banking challenges are playing out in numerous countries around the world https://www.oxbury.com/

Hey listeners, hope you all enjoyed year 1 of Agriculture Adapts as much as we did! The Ag Adapts team will be taking a short break before returning for year 2. We really appreciate everyone's support and we look forward to many exciting episodes to come! If you have any thoughts or feedback please feel free to reach out to media@climate.ai. See you all soon!
 

Since the 2008 financial crisis, agriculture has become a hotbed for investment: food consumption withstands recessions, demand is expected to double by 2050, and agriculture has largely proven to be a low volatility investment that can serve as an inflation hedge (as inflation goes up, so do ag land values)... But not everyone supports the institutionalization of ag land ownership.
We sit down with Martin Davies, President and CEO of the Westchester group, the #1 largest farmland asset manager in the world to talk about:
how institutional ag land investing really works what separates an extractive investment from a sustainable one the implications of increasing corporate/foreign ownership of domestic ag lands. how climate change plays into the investment thesis. Westchester has been a frontrunner on sustainability and continues to push the envelope on setting a positive standard for the industry. Westchester manages over 2 million acres and is a subsidiary of TIAA, a fund managing over $1 trillion in assets.