End funding for factory farming, CSOs tell World Bank

As the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund convene for their Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., a growing chorus of civil society organizations across the globe are demanding a fundamental rethink of how public finance shapes our food systems. In Ibadan, Nigeria, this call took center stage on April 15, 2026, as Youth in […]

As the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund convene for their Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., a growing chorus of civil society organizations across the globe are demanding a fundamental rethink of how public finance shapes our food systems.

In Ibadan, Nigeria, this call took center stage on April 15, 2026, as Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN), Environmental Rights Action (ERA/FoE), and World Animal Protection (WAP Africa) joined dozens of groups worldwide for the S3F Global Day of Action.

They urged a decisive shift away from using public finance to support factory farming and redirect public funding to community-based, diversified, or agroecological food systems.

This mobilization – spanning more than 20 countries – reflects mounting concern over the World Bank Group’s continued investments in large-scale industrial agriculture. While often framed as a pathway to food security and economic growth, factory farming has been repeatedly linked to environmental degradation, climate change, biodiversity collapse, and the marginalization of smallholder farmers. Communities on the frontlines, particularly in Africa, are bearing the brunt of these impacts while seeing few of the promised benefits.

Recent data underscores the scale – and urgency – of the issue. Between 2023 and 2024, the World Bank Group invested approximately $1.4 billion in industrial livestock. Its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, approved 38 such investments totaling nearly $2 billion between 2020 and 2025, according to a recent S3F analysis.

At the same time, the Bank is planning to expand its agribusiness portfolio to $9 billion annually by 2030, raising critical questions about the direction of future food systems financing.

Speaking at the campaign in Ibadan, youth farmers called for an end to the financing of factory farming, urging a policy shift towards agroecology and stronger support for smallholder farmers.

They made the appeal on Wednesday during an advocacy campaign held to mark the International Day to Stop Financing Factory Farming, where participants pressed government and financial institutions to prioritise sustainable, community-based agriculture over large-scale industrial farming systems.

Youths engaged in small-scale agriculture across the state staged the campaign to commemorate the global observance, using the platform to demand that public and private sector funding be redirected towards smallholder farmers, who they described as central to food security and rural livelihoods.

The event, held at Ijaye Town Hall in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, featured participants carrying placards and banners with various inscriptions.

Speaking with journalists at the event, the Co-founder of Youth in Agroecology and Restoration in Nigeria (YARN), Dare Elujulo, emphasised the importance of prioritising sustainable, locally driven food systems and called for stronger policy and financing support for agroecological approaches as part of a broader transformation of agricultural investment priorities.

Elujulo said the campaign sought to encourage investment in farming systems that protect the environment and improve livelihoods, rather than those that undermine ecological balance.

According to him, public finance must be urgently redirected to support agroecology and community-led food systems rather than industrial livestock production.

He said continued investment in factory farming risks deepening environmental degradation and social inequality, particularly for smallholder farmers who are already most affected by climate and economic pressures.

Elujulo emphasised that strengthening agroecological approaches is essential for building resilient food systems, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring that agricultural development genuinely benefits local communities.

Speakers at the event also called for agricultural policies that empower smallholder farmers through improved access to credit facilities, land, farm inputs, and agricultural extension services.

They argued that financing should be reoriented towards agroecological methods rather than large-scale factory farming operations.

Participants further expressed concerns over factory farming, highlighting issues such as environmental degradation, increased public health risks, and the growing marginalisation of rural producers within the agricultural value chain.

The International Day to Stop Financing Factory Farming is observed globally to raise awareness of the impacts of funding large-scale industrial farming systems and to advocate a transition towards more equitable and sustainable food production models.

The Oyo youth group, however, reiterated its call for both state and federal authorities to align agricultural financing policies with smallholder empowerment, stressing that grassroots farmers remained vital to the state’s food supply and broader rural economic development.