Im wondering and not trying to ridicule, but is English your first language? This is a turn of phrase that is used often when considering the care of something. The definition may say animal or child, and that is definitely the way it is most often used, but its use as a metaphor like this isnt unusual.

Here are some examples:

A thing has dignity when it is not opposed to the higher and nobler virtues but rather accords with them and fosters them.

They also fostered new forms of commercial relations between individuals.

The system itself fostered a constipated, inward-turning national posture, and attitudes of fear and hostility towards neighbors.

A social context of this type may reduce a child's risk for depression by fostering a sense of meaning, belonging, and optimism.