Agriculture and bioeconomy

Around 3% of advisory assignments contributed to agricultural and bioeconomy operations that strengthened resilience, innovation and environmental sustainability.

Advisory activities help public authorities, agribusinesses and financial institutions identify, prepare and implement sustainable agricultural investments that align with EIB Group green and sustainability criteria, expanding the reach of EIB financing in a sector central to food security and rural development.

More on EIB Advisory support to the EIB strategic priorities

EIB Advisory support in 2025

Working with partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), advisory teams supported project identification and preparation outside the European Union, exploring opportunities that address infrastructure needs, food security, small agricultural businesses, biomethane production and forestry recovery.
EIB Advisory developed market studies and sector analyses to identify opportunities, guide investment decisions and support biotechnologies, sustainable farming practices, novel foods and animal welfare. This helped unlock investment, drive growth, create jobs and increase the environmental impact of agricultural projects across the European Union.
We also provided hands-on support to clients to expand access to finance for agricultural stakeholders and help address climate risks. EIB Advisory also helped banks and lenders improve the availability of tailored investment products for farmers, rural businesses and projects with strong sustainability credentials.

ADVISORY STORIES

Make hay

Every year across Europe, farmers watch their fields with increasing unease. Droughts last longer, hailstorms hit harder, and rainfall no longer comes when it is needed. A new study by EIB Advisory and the European Commission shows that adverse weather already costs the sector in the European Union more than €28 billion a year on average. Without action, these losses could reach €40 billion by 2050.

“The study is about understanding how climate shocks translate into economic losses for farmers, and how financial tools can help share that risk more fairly across society and with the capital markets.”

Frank Lee

Head of Financial Intermediary Advisory at the European Investment Bank

Featured publication

Scaling up Europe’s bio-based industries

The bio-based industry sector is a vital part of the bioeconomy. It can deliver sustainable alternatives to fossil-based products, fostering industrial competitiveness and sustainable economic growth for the European Union. The European Union's bio-based industry has strong fundamentals but faces challenges when it comes to scaling up innovative technologies and products. In fact, the sector is confronted with regulatory fragmentation and burdensome bureaucracy, limiting appetite among investors and resulting in insufficient scale-up funding. Systemic change and harmonised regulation, coupled with effective financial support instruments, are essential factors to unlock the sector’s innovation potential, boosting the European Union's global leadership in low-carbon technologies. This study analyses the sector to identify barriers to scaling innovative bio-based technologies and offers specific recommendations to address investment bottlenecks and bring sustainable innovation to the market.

Read the report