UK aid to agriculture in a time of climate change

Our approach

This review assesses all UK aid support to agriculture, excluding forestry and fisheries, between 2016 and 2021. This includes agricultural interventions and research managed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; agricultural research funded by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and managed by UK Research and Innovation; and agricultural investments made by British Investment International (formerly CDC Group), the UK’s development finance institution.

The review examines how the government’s approach and programming for agriculture have evolved and built on lessons learned. It assesses how well the UK has contributed to learning around agricultural climate adaptation and resilience. This includes building evidence on ‘what works’, identifying scalable solutions, working with governments that receive UK aid and influencing international partners.

The review also examines how UK aid to agriculture supports the poorest people, and how well it engages with those it seeks to help in the design of UK aid programmes, through country case studies and citizen engagement.

Review questions

1. Does the UK have a credible approach to supporting agriculture?
2. Does the UK have a coherent approach to UK aid funded agriculture?
3. Is the UK’s support for agriculture achieving its intended outcomes on inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, food and nutrition security, and climate resilience?

On Tuesday 7 February, the prime minister announced changes to the structure of the UK government, including to BEIS and the Department for International Trade. These changes are reflected in the final report.