The assetisation of South African farmland: The role of finance and brokers

Agriculture and farmland are more and more presented as emerging asset classes. To attract potential investors towards these assets, market intermediaries, e.g. asset managers or consultants, engage in a multifaceted mediation process between global finance on one hand, and the agricultural sector on the other hand, “re-shaping” farmland as an investment opportunity for institutional investors. This chapter aims at analysing the concrete mechanisms implemented for this particular form of commodification, by describing how an emerging group of South African intermediaries are trying to transform farms into an asset class attractive and suitable for investment. (Résumé d'auteur