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?

According to the BMZ’s Agenda 2030 thematic model, ‘health, social security, and population policy’ is oneof six core themes, meaning that the topic should transcend legislative periods. In reaction to the COVID-19 crisis, the BMZ has also established a new subdivision titled Global Health: Pandemic Prevention, OneHealth.

Marking global health as a priority sector: The German government identified health as a priority sector in its 2021-2025 Coalition Agreement. The document prioritized strengthening global health architecture under the One Health approach, health R&D, especially in biotechnology, PRNDs, and WASH. Some of these issues are also included in the BMZ’s priority topic ‘Global health and physical self-determination’, which is one of four priorities.

Leveraging G7 and G20 presidencies to sharpen leadership in global health: Under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany came forward as a leader in global health after 2015. Germany prioritized global health during both its previous G7 and G20 presidencies in 2017 and 2022, respectively. Under the German G20 presidency in 2017, the health ministers of G20 countries met for the first time to discuss global health issues such as pandemic preparedness, health system strengthening, and AMR. Research on AMR and pandemic preparedness was also among Germany’s key priorities for its G7 Presidency in 2022.

Advancing SDG #3: In April 2018, the former Chancellor Angela Merkel, together with her Ghanaian and Norwegian counterparts, suggested that the WHO should convene global health actors to develop a Global Action Plan with interim milestones toward reaching SDG3: Healthy Lives and Well-being for All, by 2030.That same year, Germany was the first country to establish a formal parliamentary sub-committee on global health. At the beginning of 2019, the Global Health Hub Germany was launched to strengthen the link between national research institutions and domestic mechanisms to enhance the country’s capacity and expertise in global health matters.

New global health strategy: In October 2020, the German Federal Cabinet adopted a new cross-ministerial global health strategy for 2020-2030, entitled Responsibility – Innovation – Partnership: Shaping global health together to serve as the basis for Germany’s engagement in global health in accord with SDG3.The strategy outlines five strategic priorities in global health:

• Promoting health and preventing diseases;
• Mitigating the health effects of climate change;
• Health systems strengthening and UHC;
• Strengthening the global health architecture for epidemic and pandemic preparedness; and
• Advancing research and innovation for global health.

A progress report of this strategy is expected by the government by summer 2025 to adjust the priorities of Germany's commitment to global health in light.

Launching a Global Hub for Pandemics and Epidemics: In September 2021, WHO and the German government launched a new Global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence based in Berlin to strengthen cooperation between countries and scientific institutions worldwide to enhance global capacity for pandemics and epidemic forecasting. Germany contributed US$100 million in initial investment to the Hub and allocated EUR30 million (US$32 million) in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

One Health approach: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BMZ established a new sub-division focusing on pandemic prevention and response and One Health. In 2021, the BMZ also published its first One Health strategy, anchoring the climate-health-environment nexus in German development cooperation. The strategy gives special attention to the prevention and containment of infectious diseases, including NTDs and zoonotic infections, and the role of the WHO.

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