In what’s believed to be a world first, small-scale Australian investors are putting money into farm production, placing needed cash in the pockets of farmers.
What started as the simplest idea – a bloke who wanted to buy a few steers – has, in just 2 years, turned into Australia’s most diversified mixed farming operation. IIF (Invest In Farming) is believed to be the only investment scheme of its type in the world, in which small-scale investors join a cooperative so they can build their own diverse ‘virtual’ farm, while giving real money to real farmers. Instead of being tied up in farmland, the money is invested in primary production – young lambs, a crop being sown, bee hives, oyster spat – and when the products go to market, the farmer and investors split the profit. The cash injection often helps farmers at a time when cash reserves are low, and most of the time, everyone seems to win.
