How credit is transforming rural livelihoods and sustainability in Brazil’s poultry and dairy sector.

Felipe D’Ávila, CEO at AgroForte

Across Brazil’s vast rural landscape, thousands of small and mid-sized poultry and dairy producers work tirelessly to feed the nation and the world. In 2025, poultry output reached 15.4 million tons and national milk output totaled an estimated 25.4 billion liters in 2024 –both sectors have experienced steady growth over recent years.

But producing more is no longer enough. Consumers increasingly expect food that is not only abundant, but high-quality, traceable, and responsibly made. Increased attention to sustainability and animal welfare are opening new possibilities for producers.

Farmers, meanwhile, face rising costs, unpredictable weather, and limited infrastructure. The future of Brazilian animal protein depends on producing better — with efficiency, quality, and adaptability. To do that, producers need access to resources and financing that truly match their realities.

The Credit Gap

Yet traditional credit often leaves these producers behind.

Between 2021 and 2023, only 15% of family farmers accessed rural financing, while 38% had never received formal credit. Poultry farmers face steep upfront costs for feed, energy, and services, with payment only after the production cycle ends. Dairy farmers earn more regularly, but must juggle price volatility, feeding costs, and the rhythm of lactation — a constant balancing act that strains stability.

AgroForte: Financing What Matters

AgroForte was created to close that gap. Its mission: to become the first complete digital bank for small and mid-sized producers in poultry, pork, and dairy, empowering them to invest in what strengthens incomes and builds resilience.

So far, nearly 2,000 producers have accessed AgroForte’s two credit lines:

• Working capital to keep operations running smoothly through each cycle.

• Investment credit to fund improvements in infrastructure, animal welfare, and efficiency.

With disbursements made in as little as 48 hours, producers can act when timing matters most.

A Partnership for Measurable Impact

AgroForte had long believed in the impact of its credit model, but how could that be measured? To understand how these loans translate into real outcomes for farmers, Credit Saison Brazil partnered with AgroForte to design a technical assistance project to leverage data and turn assumptions into evidenced outcomes.. The goal: build an ESG and Impact management system to understand how well-structured, accessible credit can improve financial health, sustainability, and resilience across Brazil’s animal-protein chains.

“As the leading impact-finance solution for smallholder protein producers, we deliver intelligent and sustainable access to credit. With the AgroForte ESG System, developed in partnership with Credit Saison, we can now measure the connection between lending and real-world impact, improving governance between producers and industry, and enabling projects that increase household income and strengthen the broader ecosystem.” Felipe D’Ávila, CEO at AgroForte

Credit Saison Brazil brought analytics, research, and purpose — turning field realities into measurable evidence. Through interviews, surveys, and data from producers and agro-industry partners, three priority areas emerged:

• Animal welfare and housing

• Productivity and resource efficiency

• Compliance and integration with agro-industries

   

Each of these became a lens for understanding how credit builds sustainability, from healthier animals to more efficient, climate-resilient farms and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The Human Impact

The results speak for themselves.

Dairy producers who accessed AgroForte credit achieved:

• +29% milk output

• +36% gross revenue

• –30% GHG emissions per liter

Poultry producers improvements included:

• Up to +25% in production and gross revenue

• ~6% GHG efficiency 

For both dairy and poultry producers, investments in ventilation, temperature control, and hygiene not only helped reduce animals’ stress, illness and mortality rates but also lowered emissions per unit produced. Credit also showed impact over time, with significant results for both individual and combined contracts.

But beyond numbers, producers spoke about peace of mind — about being able to plan, invest, and grow without fear.

“Without this credit, I wouldn’t have been able to invest or keep production going. It made a big difference.” - Poultry producer

For many, AgroForte was the bridge between surviving and thriving. 95% of poultry and 84% of dairy producers said AgroForte’s credit gave them peace of mind to keep producing, even in uncertain times. Without it, most would have delayed investments or reduced herd size.

Stories Behind the Data

Behind every percentage point are real people shaping the future of sustainable agriculture.

Small female producers used credit to improve hygiene and nutrition, raising milk quality and cutting GHG emissions per liter by up to 14%.

Younger farmers turned financing into innovation — adopting improved practices that cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 36%.

Older producers focused on stability — modernizing barns and milking systems, improving hygiene, and ensuring long-term herd health.

Each success underscores one truth: when finance is inclusive, it becomes transformative.

From Farms to Value Chains

Credit not only supported individual producers, it strengthened entire ecosystems. Over 75% of producers said AgroForte’s model deepened their relationship with partner agro-industries, fostering trust, data sharing, and better governance.

For agro-industries, that meant less financial strain and more reliable supply. For producers, it meant belonging to an ecosystem that values both profitability and purpose.

Finance as a force for good

“Being part of this project gave us a much closer look at the realities of smallholder producers in Brazil. Through conversations with farmers and the agro-industry, we saw how critical access to credit is, not only for sustaining their operations, but also for enabling modernization and efficiency gains” Andressa Esteves, ESG & Impact Officer, Credit Saison Brazil

The AgroForte case demonstrates that when credit meets real need, it does more than fuel growth, it builds resilience.

By combining financial innovation with technical assistance, AgroForte and Credit Saison Brazil have proven that impact is both measurable and deeply human.

The technical assistance partnership between Credit Saison Brazil and Agroforte is a story of listening, adapting, and believing in the power of small producers to lead change across Brazil’s food systems.

Felipe D’Ávila, CEO at AgroForte together with Credit Saison Brazil Country Manager, Alvaro Landi