ODA Spending

How much ODA does Australia allocate to agriculture?

Australia was the 15^th-largest DAC donor to agriculture in 2023, at 5.3% of total ODA.

How is Australian agricultural ODA changing?

Agricultural development has not featured as a sector of primary concern in Australia’s development policy. However, the last government did see investments in agricultural development as an important component of partner countries’ recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and resilience to the effects of climate change, especially in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea.

In line with its overall ODA, Australia channeled most of its funding for agriculture projects bilaterally, including a small share as earmarked funding through multilaterals.

How does Australia allocate agricultural ODA?

Bilateral Spending

R&D to improve agricultural productivity and to better understand challenges faced by partner countries are significant priorities in Australia’s ODA for agriculture. ACIAR invests in collaborative research and capacity-development partnerships improve the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farming, fishing, and forestry communities in the Indo-Pacific region. This research also assists global food security.

Most Australian ODA is focused on the Indo-Pacific. However, in October 2024, the Australian Government announced the African-Australian partnership for climate-responsive agriculture. This will provide an AUD76 million ( US$50 million) investment over through 2030.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

Compared to other DAC donors, Australia spends very little on core contributions to multilateral organizations.

The table on slide two below summarizes Australia’s recent commitments to multilaterals working on agricultural development. Some of these commitments are considered core funding to multilaterals while others are earmarked funding through multilaterals.

Funding & Policy Outlook

What is the current government's outlook on agricultural ODA?

Agriculture is not a sector of primary concern: Agriculture is not highlighted in Australia’s 2023 development policy, which states that Australia is responding to growing global food insecurity by:

• Continuing to provide emergency food assistance via partners;
• Providing financial and technical assistance to countries in our region to help build their long-term food resilience;
• Supporting the development of social protection systems that provide a safety net for those affected by the food price crisis; and
• Advocating for open, transparent, and predictable agricultural trade and for avoiding export restrictions on food and fertilizers.

Key Bodies