ODA Spending

How much ODA does the Netherlands allocate to agriculture?

The Netherlands was the 6^th largest donor to agriculture in 2023 in absolute terms and 8^th largest in relative terms.

The Netherlands’ ODA to agriculture and rural development stood at US$448 million in 2023, representing 6.3% of total ODA.

How is agricultural ODA from the Netherlands changing?

After a sharp peak of US$440 million in 2018, Dutch ODA to agriculture has decreased 13% between 2018-2022, landing at US$383 million in 2022.

How does the Netherlands allocate agricultural ODA?

Bilateral Spending

In 2022, the Netherlands channeled 70% of its agriculture ODA bilaterally, including 24% in earmarked funding through multilaterals.

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

In line with its overall ODA split, the Netherlands spent less on multilateral commitments to agricultural organizations. In 2023, 30% of the Netherlands’ ODA to agriculture was provided as core contributions to multilateral organizations, mainly to the EU Institutions (13%), the World Bank’s IDA (8%), and GCF (3%).

The table below summarizes the Netherlands’ more 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 and Policy Outlook

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

Agriculture and rural development have not traditionally been among the main thematic priorities of Dutch development assistance. Within policymaking, agriculture is not seen as an individual component, but rather as one intertwined with food security, water management, and climate protection.

The Dutch government works with international and domestic partners on innovative, environmentally sustainable solutions to boost productivity and revenue. New and existing Dutch programs in this sector will increasingly target the Netherlands’ focus regions: the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the MENA region. The Netherlands invests in strengthening farmers’ organizations, land rights, and agricultural research. The Dutch Digital Agenda for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, released in July 2019, calls for the Netherlands to position itself as a leader in food and agriculture digitalization.

In the 2023 development budget, the war in Ukraine was cited as a reason for increased food insecurity, and as one of the reasons for the Netherlands’ increased financial support to humanitarian assistance for 2022-2026. Most Dutch humanitarian assistance is core funding to multilaterals and assigned to UN organizations and funds, such as the International Red Crescent/Red Cross Movement and the Dutch Relief Alliance.

The Netherlands has made contributions to initiatives that specifically promote food security. On November 12, 2022, at COP27, the Netherlands joined the US, EU, Germany, Norway in providing US$109 million in support of US President Joe Biden's Global Fertilizer Challenge to combat global fertilizer shortages and food insecurity, partially caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On December 23, 2022, former Development Minister Liesje Schreinemacher and former Dutch Minister for Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality Piet Adema presented an action plan on how the Netherlands will contribute to global food security. The plan stated that the Netherlands’ increased food security budget of US$486 million over 2023-2026 will prioritize increasing resilience of food consumption, production, and markets in LICs and MICs, for instance by supporting sustainable local practices like farmer-managed natural regeneration. The plan also outlined that the Netherlands will support countries’ food systems plans, known as National Pathways, to promote climate-resilient local food production. The ministers outlined that the Netherlands will mainly provide contributions to multilateral institutions, such as the WFP, CERF, UNICEF, IFAD's Crisis Response Initiative and the UN Crisis Response Group.

Among several smaller pledges, the ministers also indicated that the Dutch government was preparing a contribution of US$30 million to the AfDB’s African Emergency Food Facility, which will make seeds and fertilizer available to farmers for the upcoming sowing seasons.

Dutch climate finance also focuses on food security, including promoting nature-based solutions. In May 2023, Schreinemacher underscored that the Dutch government aims to promote Dutch expertise in the agri-food sector in LICs, for instance by promoting the commercial seed sector and local seed systems in the Sahel and Horn of Africa region, and is committed to promoting the global transition to a more plant-based diet. The Africa Strategy released on May 30, 2023 highlights the Netherlands’ focus on facilitating collaboration on food security.

Key Bodies