ODA Spending

How much ODA does Italy allocate to agriculture?

In 2022, Italy spent US$325 million of ODA on agriculture. Italy was the 8^th-largest DAC donor to agriculture in 2022 and the 20^th-largest in relative terms.

Italy’s prioritization of agriculture was slightly lower than other DAC donors, who on average spent 5% of their ODA on this sector in 2022, while Italy spent 4%. Italy’s total ODA to agriculture in 2022 dropped below 2020 levels but have stayed above the trough of 2019 levels.

How is Italian agricultural ODA changing?

Italy channeled most of its ODA for agriculture projects multilaterally in 2022. Italy maintains close relationships with the Rome-based UN organizations working on agriculture and related issues, however financial contributions have been moderate in recent years.

How does Italy allocate agricultural ODA?

Bilateral Spending

Italy channeled little of its ODA for agriculture bilaterally. Bilateral agriculture ODA only took up a little over one-fourth of Italy's total agriculture ODA in 2022 (28%, or US$90 million). It included 7% of earmarked funding through multilaterals.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

Compared to other DAC donors, Italy spends much of its ODA on core contributions to multilateral organizations. In 2022, Italy spent US$235 million or 72% of total agriculture ODA multilaterally, well above the DAC average of 49%.

Funding & Policy Outlook

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

On January 28 and 29, 2024, Italy hosted the Africa-Italy Summit, to launch the pilot programs of Italy's flagship foreign policy initiative, also known as the Mattei Plan for Africa. The Mattei Plan identifies agriculture as a priority area of intervention. Interventions will be aimed at decreasing malnutrition rates, fostering the development of agri-food supply chains, and supporting the development of non-fossil biofuels. The development of family farming, the preservation of forestry, and combating and adapting to climate change through integrated agriculture are considered fundamental.

In December 2023, at the 174th Session of the Council of the FAO, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu announced the appointment of Maurizio Martina as Deputy Director-General of the FAO. Martina, is an Italian national and former Italian Minister for Agriculture.

‘Agriculture and food security’ was re-confirmed as a priority in the latest Programming Guidelines for Italian Development Cooperation for 2021-2023. Italy emphasizes its ambition to support food security as well as rural and agricultural development in LICs, and seeks to support smallholder farmers and the transition to sustainable agricultural practices, while also promoting the inclusion of women.

Rome hosts the main UN agencies tasked with addressing food security, agriculture, and sustainable development issues. FAO, WFP, and IFAD are together referred to as the Rome Agri-food Hub. The government has a close relationship with these agencies and Italy’s development cooperation in agriculture is, therefore, heavily influenced by the policies of the Rome Agri-food Hub.

Key bodies