Q. What is your day-to-day job role within AGREN
I am broadly dividing my time between providing professional services here in the UK and our project in Africa. It works well, as the working day in Africa is earlier than here in the UK, so normally I focus on the African side between 7am and 9am, leaving me free for tasks much closer to home in Scotland. Come 6pm, I have put in a solid day.
Forestry
Q. What is your involvement in forestry and how do you see the future of forestry in Scotland evolving?
I cover a broad range in forestry; acquisitions, valuations and management, all of which I really enjoy doing. I think the future of forestry is especially positive, but as society, there is a divergence of thought on the best way to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It its worth remembering-comprises have to be made if we are to achieve a form of sustainable wood production. Put another way, if we are not producing sustainable wood here in the UK, we are importing it. The one thing we are very good at here in the UK is producing sustainable certified wood. Unfortunately, other places in the world do not have the same ‘chain of custody’ standards. And in this respect, we have to be a responsible global citizen.
Agriculture
Q. How do you see farming practices evolving to improve food production systems that are commercially viable and sustainable?
The question of how farmers can improve food production, unfortunately rests with all of us, in our capacity as consumers of food. If we can optimise the way we consume and utilise food, then we go a long way in improving our food production systems. Unfortunately, food production, globally is in a state of pre-crisis, it’s too complex to go into the detail, but suffice to say we need to be making radical changes on many different fronts – nationally and internationally.
Renewables
Q. How do you see the renewables industry evolving and what can AGREN do for landowners looking to develop renewable energy projects?
When you look at integrated land use, particularly within the forestry sector, renewables and commercial forestry ‘dovetail’ nicely. Wind farm income compliments traditional forestry incomes and can be managed under the same asset management structure. If you are a farmer, again renewables are a relatively low impact diversifier to your farming operation and improve overall cash flow. AGREN helps develop and implement these projects on the ground.
Natural Capital
Q. Natural Capital opportunities and nature-based solutions are fast becoming sought after by landowners, investors and individuals, how can natural capital add value to a business?
A great ‘catch all term’, but it is unfortunately hard to evidence exactly where value is materialised, and even if it is beneficial to environment and economy. But if you are a farm or estate owner, natural capital forms an essential role in delivering overall sustainability. I like to think of synchronicity when I think of natural capital.
We don’t quite know how the machinations of our minds will unravel the exact role of natural capital, but let’s hope it’s not Patrick from Sponge Bob Square Pants with all the ideas… But in all seriousness, there is a key role for natural capital in our society.
AGREN – We work with partners who are motivated to balance profit with sustainability. Our areas of rural expertise include: Investment, Development, Management, Diversification, Valuation, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Research.
