The agriculture and bioeconomy sectors are critical to advancing global goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. It can also play a significant role in promoting climate action, environmental sustainability, gender equality, and women’s economic empowerment.
Recent global disruptions, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have a significant impact on food security making the European Investment Bank's support to the sector imperative.
To address rising challenges, the EIB has prioritised improving infrastructure and services to increase market access, strengthening food value chains, and promoting climate-smart and resilient food production.
Between 2014 and 2023, the EIB directed 10% of its external lending to agriculture and bioeconomy, focusing on EU candidate countries (46%), African, Caribbean, and Pacific states (26%), and Mediterranean countries (15%). Through direct and intermediated loans, it supported sustainability, resilience, and development.
The Evaluation of EIB support for agriculture and bioeconomy outside the EU (2014–2023) assesses the performance and impact of EIB initiatives, emphasising key areas such as food security, gender, value chains, technical assistance, and partnerships. Case studies in seven countries across 15 operations offer detailed insights.
About the report
Key findings
Why does the EIB’s support for agriculture and bioeconomy matter?
The EIB’s support aligns with EU policies on climate, gender equality, and food security, addressing local needs and strategic goals. Improved coordination with EU Delegations and partners could enhance resource mobilisation, policy dialogue, and project support, boosting development impact.
Why it matters
The EIB’s work strengthens food systems, benefiting local economies, enhancing food security, and promoting resilience to climate change across priority regions.
How has the EIB supported the agriculture sector?
Focusing on EU candidate countries, African, Caribbean, and Pacific states, and Mediterranean countries, the EIB’s loans supported large initiatives and local businesses, addressing market gaps with features like longer maturities and grace periods. While technical assistance improved project design, expanding local currency options and technical support could better meet sector needs.
Why it matters
Through diverse financial products, the EIB fills critical financing gaps, fostering growth and resilience across regions. Additional flexibility in products could further support small and medium-sized enterprises within agriculture and bioeconomy.
What challenges did the EIB face?
Challenges such as the limited financing and technical assistance have a significant impact on small businesses. While projects generally met objectives, access to finance for new clients and smaller entities is limited, as multiple beneficiary intermediated loans often serve only existing clients. Resource constraints hindered systematic integration of food security and gender equality, and environmental and climate considerations in multiple beneficiary intermediated loans were inconsistently applied, reducing sustainable impact.
Why it matters
Recognising these challenges allows the EIB to adjust its approach to more effectively meeting the diverse needs of agriculture and bioeconomy stakeholders whilst maximising its impact on food security, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.