‘For many years BImA’s Federal Forest Service division has been supporting the implementation of our national strategy for biodiversity at its properties. Today’s commendation as a UN Decade Project underlines this important work and shows what we achieved together for biodiversity,’ stressed BImA board member Paul Johannes Fietz.

‘As Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and forestry, biodiversity and sustainability are important to us at Rentenbank. So we are very glad to have been able to set this project up with BImA. We want it to demonstrate how careful ecological forest management can contribute to nature and species protection and consequently enhance everyone’s living environment,’ said Nikola Steinbock, divisional board member at Rentenbank.

Old Giant Trees

The giant tree project has more than a thousand old and individual trees with large crown widths across an area of 500 ha in the Buchenborn Forest under protection. The valuable individual trees will no longer be disturbed in their natural development within and alongside the forest ecosystem.
In the past, these trees were often felled before they could reach their natural age of over 300 years. Nevertheless, they play a significant role in the ecosystem because they provide the forest with protection from frost or too much sun like an umbrella and contribute substantially to the natural rejuvenation of the forest. Until they decompose naturally, they also provide numerous creatures with a home including birds, bats and beetles.

Romanticism in the Caspar David Friedrich Forest

‘The best ham is grown at the oaks’ was the swineherds’ saying in the Middle Ages. The forest pasture as an early form of use of old forests was what linked forestry to agriculture. This particular type of forest is a famous and widely used motif in paintings of German romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840). There is a copy of such a forest pasture in the Buchenborn Forest where the tree populations are infused with light and its use as pasture prevents the growth of new trees. As a result, more light reaches the forest floor, which is advantageous to plants and animals with a special need for light.

On silent paws

Small rodents may feel at home between berries, acorns and beechnuts but they are never far away from the European wildcat (felis silvestris). Once near distinction, it has resettled in several large scale forested areas in Germany which tend to have fringe areas and clearings. However, the population continues to be endangered and is therefore rigorously protected. The construction of roads and housing developments is reducing their natural hunting ground. The shy species can gain so much more benefit from the forest near Friedberg-Ockstadt because of its structural diversity in a natural setting. They can find hollow trunks and piles of deadwood there to meet their need to keep out of sight. The vast, uninterrupted forest also provides them with the quiet and space they need to choose an area for breeding.

Every year, in order to monitor the population, poles with brushes infused with valerian are set up to lure the wildcats and make them mark their territory. The Senckenberg Research Institute based in Frankfurt carries out the regular genetic analyses of the hair samples which are caught in the brushes and documents this.

UN Decade on Biodiversity

The UN Decade on Biodiversity initiative was created in 2011 by the United Nations. It was intended to raise awareness and draw attention to the preservation and protection of biodiversity which is diminishing in almost all countries across the globe. Up to the end of 2020, the UN will continue to reward particularly successful activities and projects such as the ‘Forest of Wildcats and Giant Tress’ under the ‘life.nature.diversity’ banner.

The property’s history

Until the first armoured division pulled out from where they were stationed in Friedberg in 2008, the forest area around the Winterstein range had been used by the US military. Even before the end of the Second World War, Buchenborn had been a parade ground and firing range. When the US Army released and returned the forest in 2008, BImA’s Federal Forest Service division took on the maintenance of the area. Today the forest is at the heart of various nature conservation projects.

Background information:

Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides loans at favourable interest rates for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. Rentenbank provides funding for banks, savings banks and local authorities operating in rural areas. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The Bank is a federal public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. It is subject to the German Banking Act (KWG) and is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Bundesbank. The Bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the financial markets. Rentenbank does not receive any funds from the federal government budget but generates its own funds to keep fulfilling its statutory promotional mandate and its operations running. Press contact: Christof Altmann, Tel: +49 69 2107 393, Fax: +49-69/2107-6447 Email - altmann@rentenbank.de

The Institute for Federal Real Estate is Germany’s Federal Real Estate service provider. It falls under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Finance and acts in accordance with modern practices within property management. It is registered in Bonn. Its main role is the integrated management of the federal properties, their administration and sales as well as the management of the forests and nature conservation areas. BImA also has a great deal of affordable residential property at its disposal which it primarily provides to employees of the federal government as part of a housing assistance programme. The institute supports the federal government’s initiative to create housing by itself initiating building projects. BImA provides the property and space required by the federal ministries from its portfolio, through new builds, purchase or rental. It then makes the properties available to the users by means of rental agreements. With around 4,600 properties, BImA administers almost all federal properties, which include the administrative buildings of the federal government’s ministries and the supreme federal authorities as well as the entire property portfolio of the Federal Armed Forces. Press contact: Thorsten Grützner, Tel: +49 228 37787-171, Fax: +49-228 37787-172, Email - presse@bundesimmobilien.de

The exciting idea came to two students Julia Piechotta and Amelie Vermeer at their shared flat in Hohenheim, Stuttgart as they complained to each other that there were hardly any reasonable alternatives to disposable spoons. After a few experiments and various prototypes, the sustainable alternative was launched in 2019.

‘Our ice cream and dessert spoon is free of plastic, vegan and climate-neutral throughout its production process. We took a long time to refine the recipe to get the best functionality and taste. Our ‘spoonie’ tastes like a biscuit and is supposed to be eaten,’ said Julia Piechotta, co-founder of Spoontainable.

The spoon comes with a choice of two tastes: the standard taste and chocolate taste. The spoons are produced through upcycling waste products from food processing. They are primarily made from oat husks or, for the chocolate variety, from fibres from cocoa husks.

The startup based in Heidelberg received the award as a result of a public vote at the ‘Demo Day’, the last of several days of a startup bootcamp at Frankfurt’s TechQuartier.

At Rentenbank’s boot camp, co-founders of twelve startups discussed their solutions for Agri-FoodTech business with established entrepreneurial personalities, experts in setting up businesses and potential investors. The participants were trained at workshops and through webinars on such topics as growth strategies and negotiating and marketing methods. The agenda included detailed discussions with Hans Joachim Fuchtel, the parliamentary undersecretary from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, who visited the boot camp on Monday. He discussed business models with founders, offered advice on funding options and took with him ideas for addressing the current challenges facing agribusiness.

Background information:
Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides loans at favourable interest rates for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. Rentenbank provides funding for banks, savings banks and local authorities operating in rural areas. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The Bank is a federal public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. It is subject to the German Banking Act (KWG) and is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Bundesbank. The Bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the financial markets. Rentenbank does not receive any funds from the federal government budget but generates its own funds to keep fulfilling its statutory promotional mandate and its operations running.

Rentenbank’s Green Bond Framework is consistent with the ICMA Green Bond Principles (International Capital Market Association). The Framework is backed by a loan portfolio which currently comprises more than 2,000 wind power and around 21,500 photovoltaic projects. It is mostly agricultural companies which make these investments. Rentenbank is providing these loans out of its Rural Energy programme. An independent ‘second opinion’ was obtained from CICERO Shades of Green. CICERO has ranked Rentenbank’s Green Bond Framework ‘dark green’, its best ranking possible.

‘In Germany, the expansion of renewable energy is primarily taking place in rural areas where our Green Bonds support wind and photovoltaic plants. In 2019 alone, we achieved a saving in CO₂ of almost 5 million tonnes through the investments we made within the loan portfolio of our Green Bond Framework,’ added Reinhardt. This was calculated by the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg ZSW).

Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture and deputy Chairwoman on Rentenbank’s Supervisory Board, Julia Klöckner, welcomed Rentenbank’s commitment to sustainable bonds: ‘Agriculture and rural areas make a substantial contribution to reducing emissions. Investment in renewable energy is another building block along the way to reconciling sustainability with secure incomes whilst at the same time increasing the creation of economic value in rural areas. Rentenbank Green Bonds are making an important contribution to this and support the federal government's climate policy.’

Background information:
Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides loans at favourable interest rates for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. Rentenbank provides funding for banks, savings banks and local authorities operating in rural areas. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The Bank is a federal public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. It is subject to the German Banking Act (KWG) and is regulated by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Bundesbank. The Bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the financial markets. Rentenbank does not receive any funds from the federal government budget but generates its own funds to keep fulfilling its statutory promotional mandate and its operations running.

The scientists said that measures to prevent them were nevertheless important. What would be most effective is a CO₂ tax on GHG emissions which relate specifically to agribusiness. Banse and Sturm are putting together three options for a CO₂ tax at EU level. At the same time, a study undertaken by the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture under the tutelage of Talke Heidkroß affirms that the release of gases from agriculture cannot be completely avoided. They added that the production could, however, be set up in a more efficient way whereby fewer gases that are harmful to the climate are released. The research team carried out joint climate assessments with pig farms and consultancies as part of the project and identified measures to improve climate efficiency within pig farming.

Both studies presented in Berlin today form part of the ‘Climate Change Challenge – impacts on agriculture and adaptation strategies’ research project supported by Rentenbank’s Edmund Rehwinkel Foundation. In addition, Professor Jana Zinkernagel of Hochschule Geisenheim University as well as Professor Uwe Latacz-Lohmann and Professor Friedrich Taube (both from Kiel University) presented their research results at the conference. While Zinkernagel has been carrying out research into how climate change affects the cultivation and irrigation requirements of outdoor vegetables, Latacz-Lohmann has been focusing on how the farmers affected embrace contractual moor protection. Taube has been analyzing the root turnover of regular fodder plants and the resultant CO_2-emissions and has established that different grassland types have the potential to help raise the carbon stocks in the earth.

Dr. Horst Reinhardt, Chairman of the Management Board at Rentenbank and of the Edmund Rehwinkel Foundation commended the five projects for making important contributions to the current debate around climate change. ‘Ever since the heatwave in the summer of 2018, we have all become aware of the immense challenges presented by advancing climate change. Those working in agriculture have been conscious of its role and its responsibility. It’s about protecting their productivity,’ according to Reinhardt. He added that the research projects had provided a raft of specific recommendations for action.

The conference was compèred by editor-in-chief of ‘top agrar’, Dr. Ludger Schulze Pals.

The evening before the symposium, the attendees were able to benefit from an exchange of ideas with the former astronaut Ulf Merbold. In his keynote speech, Merbold pointed out the type of contribution global research can make to climate protection. He went on to say that global observation from space had provided particularly important information. Satellites were already providing efficient management processes and remote monitoring, specifically for agriculture. Science would also provide important findings on climate change in the future. On this basis, he added that it was up to politicians to make the right decisions toward reducing emissions.

The research contributions are published in volume 35 of Rentenbank’s publication series and may be ordered free of charge (tel 00 49 69/2107-363; fax 6447; www.rentenbank.de).

Service:

Rentenbank’s Edmund Rehwinkel Foundation was created in 1974 in memory of the former president of the German Farmers’ Association and long-time chairman of Rentenbank’ s Supervisory Board. The purpose of the foundation is to support science and research related to agriculture. Once a year the foundation invites tenders which relate to its current topic of focus. Candidates can apply for funding by sending in a project proposal. In addition, the foundation provides grants to students studying for their master’s degree at a German university if they are focusing on agriculture or food sciences. Under the banner of ‘Science, practice and dialogue’, the foundation also promotes dialogue between those conducting research and those actively working in the agriculture and food industry. More information atwww.rehwinkel-stiftung.de.

The research provides an analysis of the introduction of market-based tools (price setting) to reduce GHG emissions from agribusiness, potential for improving the climate efficiency in pig farming and impacts of climate change on the irrigation requirements for outdoor-grown vegetables. The authors provide a raft of recommendations for action with their results for dealing with climate change. At the same time, they are looking at the possible contribution made by agriculture to the Federal Government’s climate protection policy.

The attendees can look forward to an exciting morning with the presentation of the research, which also offers a panel discussion with high-caliber experts. There is no charge for attending the conference. If you are interested in attending then please register here: www.rentenbank.de/symposium-tagung2019. You can access the conference programme there.

Service:

Rentenbank’s Edmund Rehwinkel Foundation was created in 1974 in memory of the former president of The German Farmers’ Association and long-time chairman of Rentenbank’ s Supervisory Board. The purpose of the foundation is to support science and research related to agriculture. Once a year, the foundation invites tenders which relate to its current topic of focus. Candidates can apply for funding by sending in a project proposal. In addition, the foundation provides grants to students studying for their master’s degree at a German university if they are focusing on agriculture or food sciences. More information at www.rehwinkel-stiftung.de.

‘Through our new ‘Forestry’ promotional line, we are expanding the existing promotional offering from the federal government and states and supporting initiatives to make our forests more resilient and better suited to their location,’ said Horst Reinhardt, Chairman of Rentenbank’s Management Board.

The promotional loans are targeted at forest owners, forestry commissions and forestry cooperatives as well as leaseholders of forest areas, regardless of the legal format selected.

Federal Minister for Forestry, Julia Klöckner, welcomes Rentenbank’s commitment: ‘Our forests have endured a great deal of damage due to the storms and the sustained period of drought last year as well as attacks by bark beetles. It is imperative that forest owners and foresters are supported in the task of making the forest eco system more resilient to climate change. We all stand to benefit from healthy forests protecting the climate, maintaining biodiversity and providing everyone with a place to go and relax. The federal government along with the federal states have launched new measures to bolster the new promotional line.’

Spending on afforestation, restructuring of forests to make them more suited to the climate or the specific area, machinery for collective use or storage depots for timber, for instance are funded at our best rates. We also provide financing for the costs arising from storage and reforestation after extreme weather or other loss events.

As is the case with all promotional loans provided by Germany’s development agency for agriculture and rural areas, applications for loans must be submitted through local banks. They grade applicants into Rentenbank’s price categories subject to credit rating and recoverability of collateral.

Customer service number for loan enquiries: 0049 69 2107-700

Background information:

Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides loans at favorable interest rates for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. Rentenbank provides funding for banks, savings banks, and local authorities with regard to rural areas. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The bank is a public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. The bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the international capital markets.

“Mitsui Life’s involvement helps to promote renewable energy projects in Germany. The issue proceeds are fully allocated to the promotion of wind farms with an installed capacity of around 79 megawatts, leading to an average annual reduction of about 89,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” said Horst Reinhardt, Spokesman of Rentenbank’s Board of Managing Directors.

“We strive to focus our portfolio on sustainable and safe investments. This is exactly what Germany’s triple-A rated development agency for agriculture and rural areas offers. Therefore, we are very happy to contribute to the promotion of renewable energy in Germany by investing in green bonds issued by Rentenbank,” said Tetsuo Kushibe, Executive Director, Executive Managing Officer of Mitsui Life.

Deutsche Bank was the sole bookrunner of this Renewable Energy Bond. “Mitsui Life is a key supporter of socially responsible investments. Deutsche Bank is very delighted that we could facilitate the refinancing of German wind power projects in the international capital markets and help to add Rentenbank as a top-rated SSA issuer to the investor’s SRI portfolio,” said Stefan Reiner, Director, Global Capital Markets at Deutsche Bank


Service:
Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness and rural areas. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides low-interest loans for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The bank is a public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. The bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the international capital markets.

“Rentenbank is delighted about Nippon Life’s involvement in a new SRI bond which is a great help to finance renewable energy projects in Germany. As part of our promotional mandate we are contributing to Germany’s ambitious long-term climate protection goals by promoting renewable energy projects,” said Horst Reinhardt, Spokesman of the Board of Managing Directors at Rentenbank.

Rentenbank will use the bond proceeds to finance loans that help promoting wind power. “I am pleased to contribute through this investment in a SRI bond to the promotion of renewable energy in Germany. Nippon Life will foster the better understanding of environmental initiatives and continue to seek global ESG investments which will satisfy our policyholders,” said Hiroshi Ozeki, CIO at Nippon Life.

Commerzbank was sole lead manager on the SRI bond. “Nippon Life is a key investor in this market, and we are happy that with Rentenbank, Commerzbank was able to facilitate a top-rated SSA issuer to be added to the investor’s SRI portfolio”, said Sylvia Moussalli, Head of Public Sector & Frequent Borrowers at Commerzbank.

Kauri trees, which are protected and play an important role in Māori mythology, are not just the market’s namesakes. They also benefit from the Kauri market via a program launched by the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ). Together with the Kauri 2000 Trust, a non-profit NGO, BNZ plants 100 Kauri trees on the Coromandel Peninsula for each transaction arranged. To date, 11 of Rentenbank’s Kauri transactions have been led by BNZ, creating a small forest of 1,100 young Kauri trees over the course of the past ten years.

“We permanently strive to broaden and diversify our investor base in the international capital markets. Raising funds at favorable rates is a prerequisite for effectively fulfilling our statutory promotional mandate. We are, of course, very pleased that our funding activities also contribute to a nature conservation project on the other side of the world,” said Horst Reinhardt, Speaker of Rentenbank’s Board of Managing Directors.

A decision by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) served as an initial catalyst for the birth of the Kauri market for foreign issuers. Due to its low public debt, New Zealand kept scaling back government bond issuance, which led to a severe lack of liquidity. In response, the RBNZ decided to add Rentenbank’s bonds, among others, to the local repo-eligibility list in 2007. Due to its status as a public law institution benefitting from the explicit guarantee of the Federal Republic of Germany for its obligations, Rentenbank is triple-A rated by the three major rating agencies.

Service:

Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank is Germany’s development agency for agribusiness. Under its statutory promotional mandate, Rentenbank provides low-interest loans for agriculture-related investments via other banks on a competitively neutral basis. The appropriation of profits is also subject to the promotional mandate. The bank is a public law institution whose capital stock was formed by contributions paid by the German agricultural and forestry sectors. The bank is one of the few triple-A rated institutions in Germany and raises funds primarily in the international capital markets.