Thirty civil society organisations are demanding transparency and accountability on food system financing at the Africa Development Bank Group annual meetings in Congo Brazzaville, where the bank pledged $24 billion over a decade to end hunger and agricultural crises on the continent.

The groups under the Stop Financing Factory Farming coalition warned that unstructured funding could pose serious environmental and human capital risks that could eclipse projected gains in Africa.

The Africa Development Bank estimated that the continent required between $315 billion and $400 billion over a decade, for Feed Africa Strategy, a poverty alleviation scheme focused on ending hunger and other challenges of agriculture.

Acknowledging the anticipated benefits of the programme, particularly industrial livestock production, the groups feared agricultural finance without proper structure could worsen deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions and put undue pressure on small scale farmers.

They warned that financing models lacking proper environmental and social safeguards pose an enormous risk to Africa’s ecological and public health. 

“The debate is not simply about agricultural growth — it is about what kinds of food systems are being shaped and locked in through public development finance,” Opeyemi Elujulo, Policy and Campaign Coordinator at the Stop Financing Factory Farming Coalition, said. “The financing decisions made today will influence whether Africa’s food future is built around resilient local food systems, biodiversity protection and community wellbeing or increasingly concentrated industrial models that deepen environmental and economic vulnerabilities.”

The director of the Food Justice Network, Roselilly Ushewokunze, argued in the same vein, noting that agro-financing should not be anti-climate resilient.

“Agricultural finance must support food systems that strengthen food sovereignty, climate resilience, biodiversity and community wellbeing while empowering locally rooted, sustainable food production,” said Ms Ushewonkunze.

The external affairs lead at World Animal Protection, Salome Kahiu, said the funding could backfire if sustainable environmental measures were not in place.

“Harmful impacts can emerge indirectly when investment models prioritise rapid production growth, export competitiveness and economies of scale without fully accounting for environmental sustainability, public health, animal welfare, biodiversity protection or impacts on smallholder livelihoods,” said Kahiu.

The groups urged the African Development Bank Group to halt funding for risky industrial livestock production models “that contribute to environmentally destructive land conversion, unsustainable water use, and ecosystem degradation.”

They further demanded increased support for smallholder farmers, pastoralists, women producers and local communities.

Other demands include a scale up of investment in agroecological and climate-resilient farming strategies as well as “improved transparency and accountability around agricultural lending portfolios and value chain investments.”