A global coalition, the Stop Financing Factory Farming Campaign (S3F), has called on governments and multilateral development banks to end public financing for industrial livestock production and redirect investments toward agroecology and equitable food systems.
The coalition made the call in a statement issued ahead of the 20th anniversary of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), scheduled for 24–26 February in Cartagena, Colombia.
“As governments, social movements, and multilateral institutions gather in Cartagena for ICARRD+20 to advance agrarian reform and rural development, the Stop Financing Factory Farming (S3F) Campaign is calling for an urgent shift in global development finance,” the statement said.
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The group urged public and multilateral development banks to end financing for industrial livestock and redirect resources toward agroecology and equitable food systems.
Factory farming, or intensive animal agriculture, is an industrial system designed to maximise meat, dairy, and egg production at the lowest cost
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It involves confining thousands of animals—such as chickens, pigs, and cattle—in crowded, often indoor facilities (CAFOs) with little to no room to move.
Environmentalists have argued that high-density living conditions lead to stress, disease, and increased antibiotic use, raising public health concerns about antibiotic resistance.
Similarly, these operations often generate significant waste, resulting in water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation for feed crops.
Challenges
The coalition argued that 20 years after the first ICARRD, land inequality, rural dispossession, and ecological decline remain pressing global challenges, adding that development finance continues to shape land use and agricultural systems in ways that often worsen these crises.
“Development finance is far from neutral,” said Mariann Bassey-Olsson, S3F Africa Regional Coordinator. “Public and multilateral development bank financing of industrial livestock is driving deforestation, land conversion for feed production, and land concentration.”
She argued that these investments directly undermine climate goals, biodiversity protection, and the vision of sustainable rural development.
According to the group, industrial livestock production depends heavily on monoculture feed systems, accelerates forest destruction, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and entrenches export-oriented agribusiness models, while consolidating corporate control over land and food systems.
The coalition also disputed claims that financing industrial livestock boosts food security. Citing findings from a recent report, it stated that if grains fed to livestock were used directly for human consumption, an additional two billion people worldwide could be fed each year.
“Industrial livestock systems are also reshaping rural economies in ways that deepen inequality,” said Opeyemi Elujulo, S3F Youth, Policy & Campaigns Lead.
“Factory farming concentrates ownership and decision-making power in the hands of large agribusiness corporations, displacing small-scale producers and Indigenous landowners. Women, youth, and marginalised communities bear the heaviest burden. This is not rural development, it is rural dispossession.”
The coalition said ICARRD+20 presents a critical opportunity to realign development finance with the goals of reducing rural poverty and supporting agrarian reform.
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“Redirecting financial flows can transform land outcomes and rural futures,” stressed Claudia Escorza, S3F Latin America Regional Coordinator.
“Shifting public finance away from factory farming toward agroecological and diversified food systems supports more equitable land use, strengthens resilient rural livelihoods, and aligns with climate and biodiversity commitments. Public money must serve the public good, not corporate concentration.”
The campaign urged participating governments and development banks to end financing for industrial livestock projects, conduct transparent reviews of agricultural investment portfolios, redirect funds toward agroecology and community-led food systems, align investments with climate and human rights commitments, and guarantee meaningful participation of grassroots movements and small-scale producers in financing decisions.
“Agrarian reform cannot succeed without transforming how development finance is structured and deployed,” the statement added. “ICARRD+20 must mark a turning point.”
The S3F Campaign operates across Africa, Latin America, Europe and other regions, advocating for the redirection of public finance toward agroecology, food sovereignty and climate-resilient food systems
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