Skandia Investment Group’s Global Dynamic Equity Fund has taken a 1.5 per cent position in the DWS Global Agribusiness Fund managed by Global Thematic Partners.

Launched in March 2009, Skandia’s GBP877m flagship fund has returned 42.64 per cent to end of July 2010, compared to a return of 35.81 per cent for its benchmark, placing it in the first quartile of the IMA Global Growth sector.

The fund aims to provide long-term capital growth predominantly through investment in global equities and is available on a range of platforms.

The purchase of DWS is the second theme added by the fund this year, after taking a position in the JPM Global Financials Fund in the first quarter.

The DWS Global Agribusiness Fund seeks to benefit from the growing demand for food worldwide. It invests in companies involved in the entire food chain, from agricultural commodities to consumer products, including companies specialising in fertilisers, plantation, crop protection, irrigation, harvesting and food processing.

Global Thematic Partners is an independent investment management firm formed in June 2010 by Oliver Kratz and Ralf Oberbannscheidt.

François Zagamé, portfolio manager at Skandia Investment Group, says: “Our investment in this fund is driven by the view that trends such as climate change, food shortage and population growth all put growing demand pressure on water, food, energy and infrastructure.

“Although this is a long-term theme, the recent spike in wheat prices is quite representative of the short-term opportunities that can also be exploited in the sector.”