A coalition of 30 civil society organisations has called for greater transparency, accountability and stronger environmental safeguards in agricultural financing across Africa following the African Development Bank Group’s commitment to invest $24 billion over the next decade to combat hunger and agricultural challenges on the continent.
The groups, operating under the Stop Financing Factory Farming Coalition, made the call during the African Development Bank Group’s annual meetings in Brazzaville where discussions focused on financing strategies for agricultural transformation and food security.
According to the coalition while increased investment in agriculture is essential to achieving food security and economic development financing models that lack adequate environmental and social safeguards could create significant long-term risks for communities, ecosystems and public health.
The African Development Bank Group estimates that Africa requires between $315 billion and $400 billion over the next decade to implement its Feed Africa Strategy an initiative designed to reduce poverty, eliminate hunger and strengthen agricultural development across the continent.
While acknowledging the potential benefits of the programme particularly in expanding agricultural production and livestock development the coalition expressed concerns that poorly structured financing could accelerate deforestation biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions and economic pressures on smallholder farmers.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition Opeyemi Elujulo said the debate extends beyond agricultural growth to the type of food systems that public development financing is helping to establish.
According to Elujulo financing decisions made today will shape whether Africa’s future food systems are built around resilient local production models, biodiversity conservation and community wellbeing or increasingly concentrated industrial systems that may heighten environmental and economic vulnerabilities.
Similarly Roselilly Ushewokunze stressed that agricultural financing should support climate resilience, food sovereignty biodiversity conservation and sustainable local food production systems.
She argued that investments should empower communities while promoting environmentally responsible agricultural practices capable of enhancing long-term food security.
Also commenting Salome Kahiu warned that agricultural investments could produce unintended consequences if sustainability measures are not adequately incorporated into financing frameworks.
According to her, prioritising rapid production growth export competitiveness and economies of scale without considering environmental sustainability, public health, animal welfare, biodiversity protection and smallholder livelihoods could undermine the broader objectives of agricultural development.
The coalition therefore urged the African Development Bank Group to avoid financing high-risk industrial livestock production systems that could contribute to environmentally harmful land-use changes, excessive water consumption and ecosystem degradation.
The groups also called for increased support for smallholder farmers, pastoralists, women producers and local communities whom they described as critical actors in Africa’s food systems.
Among their recommendations were greater investments in agroecological farming practices climate-resilient agricultural systems improved transparency in agricultural lending portfolios and stronger accountability mechanisms for value-chain investments.
Stakeholders noted that balancing agricultural expansion with environmental sustainability and social inclusion will be critical to ensuring that future investments deliver lasting benefits for food security economic development and ecological resilience across Africa.
