Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of how technology can be used to help achieve the UK’s development priorities in respect of (a) health, (b) agriculture and (c) disaster preparedness.

DFID is committed to harnessing the power of technologies to reduce poverty.

In health, we are investing in the development of new diagnostics and medicines, to achieve global disease reduction targets and address the threat of antimicrobial resistance. In agriculture, we are applying new technologies to significantly improve farmers’ productivity, incomes and resilience, and help ensure agri-food systems deliver safe and nutritious food for a growing population. In disaster preparedness, we are piloting technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles, to support humanitarian response and improve logistics, and funding research to combat the effects of climate change.