But you have also seen Al Gore’s inconvenient movie, believe in empowerment and want your investment to make a positive difference to rural agricultural communities. Well done! You have the makings of an ethical investor. Where do you start and what questions should you be asking of the companies you are considering buying into?

Firstly, welcome to the club. You are in good company. Global growth in ethical investment has been phenomenal in recent years. The signatories to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment today have assets under management totalling US$8 trillion. These are funds owned and managed by pension funds and asset managers internationally. The South African signatories are Frater Asset Management, Advantage Asset Managers, Empowerdex and the Government Employees Pension Fund.