A global coalition under the banner ‘Stop Financing Factory Farming’ is urging the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation to stop funding factory farming and redirect money to smallholder farmers.
Globally, the World Bank Group invested approximately 1.4 billion in industrial livestock production between 2023 and 2024 alone. Its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, approved 38 industrial livestock investments worth nearly 2 billion between 2020 and 2025.
Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant recipient. A 2023 white paper by the Stop Financing Factory Farming Campaign (S3F) revealed that the region received 22 animal agriculture projects of 62 projects across developing regions, valued at approximately $1.395 billion, accounting for 41.9% of the $3.3 billion in total direct support from development finance institutions, including the World Bank Group. These figures highlight the region’s share of global financing flows into industrial animal agriculture and raise concerns about the long-term impacts on rural livelihoods, ecosystems, and climate resilience across Africa.
Despite growing concerns over the environmental and social costs of factory farming, the World Bank Group announced plans to expand its agribusiness portfolio to $9 billion annually by 2030. At the same time, the IFC is undertaking a once-in-a-decade review of its environmental and social Performance Standards, creating a pivotal opportunity to align public finance with climate commitments, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development goals.
World Animal Protection warns that continued investment in factory farming undermines traditional African food systems, which are largely based on smallholder farmers who produce the majority of the continent’s food.
Instead of strengthening food security, large-scale industrial livestock systems often concentrate wealth to a few individuals, increase environmental degradation, and expose communities to pollution and disease risks.
Below, Sally Kahiu, External Affairs Lead at World Animal Protection, emphasizes the urgency of shifting financial priorities.
A global coalition under the banner ‘Stop Financing Factory Farming’ is urging the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation to stop funding factory farming and redirect money to smallholder farmers#KBCniYetu pic.twitter.com/opIZTYfmdf
— KBC Channel 1 News (@KBCChannel1) April 16, 2026
Stop Financing Factory Farming Campaign ((S3F) continues to urge international financial institutions to adopt transparent policies that phase out funding for industrial livestock operations.
“Public finance should be a force for equitable development, not a driver of environmental harm and social exclusion,” said Opeyemi Elujulo, Executive Director of Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN) and S3F Youth, Policy, and Campaign Lead.
“The issue is not just about what is being funded, but also, what is being neglected. Agroecological and community-led food systems, widely recognized for their potential to enhance biodiversity, strengthen local economies, and build climate resilience, remain chronically underfunded. Redirecting financial flows toward these approaches is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity to eliminate dependency and inequality.”
