What happened to biofuels?
Energy technology: Making large amounts of fuel from organic matter has proved to be more complex and costly than expected SCIENTISTS have long known how to convert various organic materials into liquid fuel. Trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, fungi, seaweed, algae and animal fats have all been turned into biofuels to power cars, ships and planes. As well as being available to countries without tar sands, shale fields or gushers, biofuels can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by providing an alternative to releasing…
Blockchain will track 50 million trees through Investancia and EcoMatcher partnership
The groundbreaking new partnership will use blockchain technology to record, view and measure the growth of 50 million Pongamia trees to be planted in the Paraguayan Chaco forest over the next decade. Leading agro-research company Investancia has teamed up with EcoMatcher to track a large-scale reforestation project using EcoMatcher’s blockchain-enabled digital tree-planting platform. Over the next ten years, 50 million trees will each receive a unique QR code in Investancia’s tree nursery. Once the trees…
Latin America’s economic slump got you down? Get the lowdown on what may happen in 2023! Find out how these could affect your business or investments in the next year.
The global economic slowdown will dampen Latam’s growth prospects, but a reconfiguration of the global economy following the war in Ukraine may give rise to unexpected opportunities for the region. Five Facts About Latin America Economic Outlook Economic challenges faced by the world Nowadays, many countries are struggling with economic difficulties, Latin America included. The Latin American economic outlook for March 2023 shows growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments use policy regularization,…
What the future for Mercosur looks like?
Mercosur is a group of countries that includes about 300 million people and covers almost 15 million square kilometres. They’ve got some awesome things going for them, like tons of biodiversity, rich farmlands, and lots of energy resources. The group started in 1991 when Brazil and Argentina decided to put their differences aside and work together. They made a treaty called the Treaty of Asunción, which said that they wanted to be able to move goods, services, and production factors between countries.…
Powering the Future: What changes can we expect in real estate marketing now that AI has gone mainstream
A deeper dive at the potential applications of artificial intelligence in real estate and how brokers and agents can leverage AI to enhance their business. As a result of the proptech revolution, artificial intelligence in real estate is proving to be a significant disruptor. With advancements in machine learning and the rapid evolution of AI, the real estate sector is learning how to handle the massive amounts of data that buildings produce and monitor specific KPIs to simplify operations and extract meaningful…
The largest REDD+ carbon project in Paraguay, ‘Corazón Verde del Chaco Project’ completes VCS & CCB validation
The project is the largest Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) carbon project in Paraguay. Using carbon finance, the project protects thousands of hectares of forest threatened by deforestation. It preserves habitat for endangered birds, plants and mammals, some found nowhere else on earth. The Corazón Verde del Chaco Project (VCS Project 2611), the most significant Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) carbon project in Paraguay, has now completed…
Are Performance Fees Fair for Syndicate Investors?
The Argument Against Performance Fees If fund managers and syndicate managers do not outperform their benchmark, they continue to get their standard fee, even if they have to forego their performance fee. We like performance, but we do not like performance fees. There are fund managers, who charge a fee for management, but then on top of that, they charge another fee if they get returns above a certain level. We object to these “performance fees”. Some fund managers will say they should have a performance…
Agricultural Syndicates, Partnerships, all need to have a shareholders agreement at the start of a new business.
If you’re starting or running a business or buying a property with other co-founders, someone probably told you to get a shareholders agreement. But why is this important? What does a shareholders agreement do? What can happen if you don’t get one? In this article, I’ll explain why you need to have some hard conversations with co-founders and we’ll look at an interesting recent case with costly consequences. What is a shareholders agreement? A shareholders agreement is a contract where you agree…
Eucalyptus Plantation Forestry Investment in Uruguay shows impressive returns
Uruguay has significant geographic, climate and competitive environmental advantages in modern Eucalyptus timberland plantation forestry, making it one the world’s lowest base cost Eucalyptus producers. The Uruguay forestry model driven by the state-of-the-art world, class pulp plant investments in Uruguay by UPM and Stora Enso/ Auraco has created a vigorous, sustainable and ultimately disruptive forestry model which is changing the dynamics of traditional timber markets on a worldwide basis on a scale last…
Understanding International Family Offices as an alternative source of investment capital
The role of the family office has often been misunderstood, even though the concept has been around (in various forms) for hundreds of years. Still, today, as this industry controls billions of dollars in assets under management, many intelligent, experienced finance professionals cannot offer a complete definition of what a family office is exactly. Today, the family office industry is expanding at an impressive pace, with new family offices opening every month and assets continuing to grow yearly. The family…
Davos 2023 backs an Argentine firm that optimises irrigation efficiency with new technology
Kilimo, an Argentine company that uses data to optimise irrigation, received solid financial support at this year’s Davos forum to continue developing a system that helps farmers in Latin America save thousands of litres of water. Kilimo, an Argentine company that uses data to optimise irrigation, received strong financial support at this year’s Davos forum to continue developing a system that helps farmers in Latin America save thousands of litres of water. The company, which advises farmers in…
11 property tips when buying
My thoughts from 30 yrs in the real estate industry. Tip 1: Contact your broker, don’t wait for them to contact you – Good properties always sell, even in a challenging market. Your ability to buy the best properties that tick all your boxes comes down to your relationships with the local brokers, so take the lead and make sure they always think of you first when they become aware of that perfect property. Ask to be on their mailing list if you are not already. Tip 2: Buy when you can afford to…
We are searching for a creative and experienced Real Estate Journalist focused on South America to join our team
Qualifications: We are looking for a bilingual (Spanish/ English) freelance journalist, preferably from South America, who can write positive articles on a diverse range of subjects connected to investment in targeted real estate projects or subjects related to real estate investment in South America for our real estate news site, gtsanews.com. We will give you the subject and the project or subject we want to highlight. ie we might be selling a horticultural farm in Chile. We might need an article about that…
Selling or buying properties in remote locations
Sellers face many of the same challenges as buyers do. Still, given current market conditions in many South American markets where we operate, we are finding the market is slow for remote properties. They are often owned as second or third investments outside their home location and are only visited once or twice a year. Each Seller’s motivation clearly varies. However, there is a broad spectrum of Sellers, from those content with fair market value and others who really don’t care what fair market value…
The Problem: Property Not Selling? Maybe we can help
There are several reasons why otherwise prime real estate gets no interest from qualified buyers. Is it priced for the market conditions? ( market values keep changing up and down ) Is it easily accessible to be viewed? Is it being advertised in the logical target markets? Does the quality of marketing represent the quality of the property? ie is it repressed by high-quality media that has been edited professionally? Here is an example from Cafayate, Argentina. Is the real estate salesperson experienced in…
