ODA Spending

How much ODA does Sweden allocate to agriculture?

Sida’s support for small-scale farming is prioritized as it provides people with livelihoods and contributes to local production. Sida contributes to food security through programmes and projects in:

• Economic development;
• Climate and environment;
• Health, peaceful and inclusive societies; and
• Humanitarian aid.

How is Swedish agricultural ODA changing?

Agriculture and rural development are not key development priorities for Sweden. Sweden’s funding to agriculture has massively decreased in 2022, by about 59%, compared to 2020.

Sweden’s agricultural ODA in 2020 was most likely an overestimation due to the full inclusion of Sweden’s multi-year contribution ( US$869 million) to GCF, part of which ( US$241 million) was imputed to the agricultural sector, and therefore resulting in a sharp increase in Swedish multilateral ODA to the sector.

How is Swedish agricultural ODA allocated?

Bilateral Spending

Sweden’s bilateral disbursements to the agricultural sector have also decreased, falling to US$159 million in 2022 (from US$213 million in 2021).
 

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

In total, US$110 million, or 41% of Sweden’s agriculture ODA, was channeled as core contributions to multilateral organizations, above the DAC average of 49%. Other key multilateral partners in 2021 included EU institutions, the World Bank’s IDA, ADF, and the Adaptation Fund.

Sweden also supports CGIAR, the largest recipient in the Sida's agriculture research portfolio. In a 2019 commitment framework, Sida set funding levels for CGIAR 2019-2022 at US$50 million as unrestricted support to the fund’s portfolio window, US$2 million for the CGIAR research program on water, land, and ecosystems, and US$1.6 million for the program on small-scale fishing.

The table below summarizes Sweden’s more recent commitments to multilaterals working on agricultural development. Some of these commitments are considered core funding to multilaterals while others will be earmarked funding through multilaterals from Sweden.

Funding and Policy Outlook

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

Agriculture is not a sector of primary concern: Within the 2016 Policy framework for Swedish development cooperation and humanitarian assistance, agriculture fits within the broader theme of ‘international trade and sustainable investments’ and focuses on small-scale agriculture. This section of the policy pays particular attention to the role of women in agriculture and highlights the connections between agriculture, food security, and economic development, as well as to health. Agricultural research also receives considerable attention in the policies guiding Sweden’s agricultural development activities.

The majority of the disbursements for agricultural development went to the African continent, where a large share of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods, often in fragile contexts. The portfolio contributes to multiple dimensions of food security: availability, access and utilization of food and nutrition, stability and sustainability of food systems, and agency among food system actors, particularly small-scale farmers; as well as climate action and no poverty.

Key Bodies