How Will Celebrity Investors Impact the Agriculture Industry?

(Above photo credit: Spencer Davis / Unsplash)

The future of food and farming may not be dependent solely on breakthroughs in science — celebrities may play a role in changing the way society thinks about food from farm to table. Celebrity investors are known for drawing eyes to sectors that need more people’s help, and they typically invest in things that are worth society’s attention.

With several recent circumstances bringing food to the forefront of many people’s minds, all eyes are on whether there will be shortages and scarcities as time goes on. As improvements in agriculture technology become more well-known, more investors look at agriculture through new eyes — and choose to invest in something that will benefit the world.

Current Problems Agriculture Faces

The agriculture industry is more fragile than some people realize. While it is made up of many moving parts, just disrupting a couple of those parts can mess up the entire supply chain for a time. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages disrupted many families’ ways of life. The Farmers to Families Food Box Program, a response by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ran for an entire year and helped many families eat when they had no access to food otherwise. In the future, more shortages are sure to happen as more areas around the globe become intertwined.

Climate change is another big worry. While most people know about rising sea levels, not everyone understands just how rising seas can affect the food we eat. Only 2.5 percent of the water on the planet is freshwater, meaning that only a small percentage of the water on Earth is drinkable and can be used to nourish crops.

Another area that might be concerning in the future is the limited land. Farming takes space — crops and livestock take up resources. There soon won’t be enough farmland to sustain local crops in more urbanized areas. Still, there may be a way to combat this issue in the future by improving agricultural technology. The right developments could enable people to grow crops with less land.

Livestock will still be a challenging issue, though. Acreage is something to watch as the number of farms decreases. Still, it seems like acreage per farm has increased despite the lessening number of farmsteads. Though small in terms of farmland, this extra space could assist with raising meat animals, especially smaller ones like free-range chickens or turkeys. Due to the adverse environmental effects of raising cattle, opting for poultry or plant-based meat might be in the public’s best interest in the near future.

Without the proper education, people may not know how scarce water is and how quickly they need to take action — if they can. They also may not know that it’s a beneficial sector to invest in — as agriculture technology is continually growing, and the industry will always remain one of the most important ones in the world.

Where Celebrities Shine

With celebrity investor influence, people can rest assured that the process of farm to table will be more transparent. Since people are more concerned with the quality and health of their food before it reaches them, understanding more about the agricultural industry can help put people at ease and support the farmers who work tirelessly to bring food to them.

Celebrities who invest in certain companies do so because they believe in them. Some companies may advocate for greener practices, and celebrities could align themselves with those views. Then, like-minded people may seek to invest in the same companies because they appreciate the celebrity’s involvement and the cause itself. Stars shedding light on issues works almost like a form of education, which can help the agriculture industry tell the public more about what threatens their work.

Plenty of celebrity investors have already seen the value in the agriculture industry and its future developments. People like Bill Gates have invested in alternative, greener forms of meat in the form of plant-based substitutes, and several other celebrities have shown interest in the tech that makes farming easier. Soon, other people will follow suit and see the value of investing in agriculture and food production.

The Future of the Agriculture Industry

Society will continue to push for more sustainable farming in the foreseeable future. Beef cattle take up several resources and release methane gas into the atmosphere, making them a less sustainable meat choice than fish or poultry. If society pushes for more sustainable farming, then beef may be less prevalent — but only if people are willing to take steps to make agriculture even more sustainable than it is.

Despite supply chain disruptions being an issue for the future, agriculture will carry on with more sustainable practices in the future. Thanks to celebrity investors, more and more people are being made aware of the issue and doing what they can to help — whether that’s to invest their money in new agriculture technology to increase project efficiency or give a helping hand by donating or distributing food to people themselves. In the future, people may feel more ready to advocate for better, more sustainable agricultural practices.

Even though the agriculture industry is one of the oldest out there, it’s still one of the hottest with the most projected growth. Annually, the agribusiness sector in just one state could be almost $100 billion soon. Farming is necessary to sustain life, so people should grow more interested in it. Investors should be the ones to lead the way toward caring more about agriculture. From there, everyone else may start to follow their lead and place even more value on the field.

Changing How People View the Agriculture Industry

The agriculture sector is one that everyone benefits from, but not everyone thinks about it. Society, for the most part, is not as concerned about how their food is made as much as wanting to know that it’s on their table. Still, a push for sustainability and celebrity investors casting light on agricultural issues can transform the entire industry. Once more people get invested in knowing the quality of their food and supporting their local farmers, the agriculture industry will flourish.

 

Article by Jane Marsh, an environmental journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of Environment.co. She covers all things related to the environment, sustainability, and renewable energy. Jane has been featured on sites like Renewable Energy Magazine, Manufacturing.net, and Nation of Change. When she’s not writing, Jane loves hiking, canoeing, and spending time with her rabbit and birds. You can keep up with her by subscribing to Environment.co