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ODA Spending

ODA in Context

Sweden was the sixth largest DAC donor to agriculture in 2020.

Sweden’s prioritization of agriculture within its broader development program in 2020 was higher than the average for DAC donors in that year (8% of ODA), making it fifth among donors, in relative terms.

ODA Trends

Agriculture and rural development are not key development priorities for Sweden, but Sweden’s funding to agriculture has steadily increased in recent years and witnessed a sharp increase in 2020 when it rose by about 77%, compared to 2019.

Sweden’s agriculture ODA in 2020 is 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) is imputed to the agricultural sector and therefore resulting in a sharp increase in Swedish multilateral ODA to the sector.

ODA Breakdown

Bilateral Spending

While Sweden’s total agriculture ODA saw a sharp increase in 2020, its bilateral disbursements to the sector decreased fell, reaching US$182 million (from US$194 million in 2019). Sweden’s bilateral funding to agriculture remained focused mainly on agricultural development (32% of bilateral agriculture funding), rural development (22%), and agricultural research (16%).

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

In total, US$341 million, or 65%, of Sweden’s agriculture ODA was channeled as core contributions to multilateral organizations (:abbrDAC average: 47%). Other key multilateral partners besides GCF in 2020 were EU institutions, the World Bank’s IDA, ADF, and the Adaptation Fund.

In parallel, Sweden also supports the CGIAR, the largest recipient in the agriculture research portfolio of Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). In a 2019 commitment framework, Sida set funding levels for CGIAR 2019-2022 at SEK470 million (US$51 million) as unrestricted support to the fund’s portfolio window, SEK20 million (US$2 million) for the CGIAR research program on water, land, and ecosystems, and SEK16 million (US$2 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 (bilateral) funding from Sweden.

Funding & Policy Outlook

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 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.

Key Bodies