UK aid to agriculture in a time of climate change

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We have published our review of UK aid to agriculture in a time of climate change. We awarded an a green-amber score and made five recommendations for the government. The government’s response was published in August 2023. We completed our follow-up report in May 2024.

Summary

Since 2020 there has been dramatic progress towards reducing hunger globally. But progress has been set back in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation and the global economic slowdown. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2022 report notes that after two decades of global hunger reduction, progress has almost come to a halt.

Growth in agricultural productivity has been a key factor for enabling progress towards ending hunger in recent decades. However, climate change is affecting food security, as increased temperatures, reduced rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events reduce crop yields.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, effective measures are needed to adapt to climate change to ensure food security. Measures are also needed to mitigate against some of the harmful effects of agricultural production, such as the release of greenhouse gas emissions.

This review assesses all UK aid support to agriculture, excluding forestry and fisheries, between 2016 and 2021.