The Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee has identified improved forage production as a key measure to reducing farmer-herder conflicts and strengthening Nigeria’s livestock sector.
A member of the committee, Prof. Demo Kalla, stated this in Ilorin on Tuesday during a capacity-building programme for 100 livestock farmers on forage conservation and preservation under the Kwara State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES).
Kalla, who is also Director of the TETFUND Centre of Excellence on Food Security, Dairy Research and Development Centre at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, said the training would equip farmers with practical skills to produce and preserve livestock feed while improving their livelihoods.
He warned that inadequate feed could intensify competition over available resources and trigger conflicts between farmers and herders.
“We cannot have enough feed for our animals; definitely, there will be crisis,” he said.
According to him, the L-PRES intervention provides opportunities for youths, women and other players in the livestock value chain to acquire skills that can boost animal production and contribute to Nigeria’s food and feed security.
Kalla described the training as a potential game changer, saying its success in Kwara could provide a model for other states while creating jobs, attracting investment and increasing the production of animal-source foods.
He also welcomed the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, saying the committee had advocated a dedicated ministry to give the livestock economy greater attention.
“For the very first time since independence, Nigeria is paying attention to the livestock economy. I think our number one goal is achieved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said his administration’s interventions in the livestock sector were creating opportunities for youths and other stakeholders.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs Toyosi Thomas, urged beneficiaries to apply the knowledge acquired from the training to build sustainable livelihoods.
He said L-PRES and other interventions, including the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), were helping to build a livestock sector focused on productivity, resilience and commercialisation.
AbdulRazaq disclosed that 8,951 people had been profiled across selected livestock value chains, while about 100 stakeholder engagements had been held with communities and value-chain actors since L-PRES activities began in the state in October 2023.
He added that 238,718 animals had been vaccinated against major livestock diseases, with more than 1,100 farmers benefiting directly from the exercise.
The governor said his administration had also rehabilitated and equipped the veterinary laboratory in Ilorin and strengthened the vaccine cold-chain system with solar power, resulting in an increase in animals screened by the laboratory from 157 to 246.
Also, the Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development in the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Hakeem Ibilade, said the ministry was making progress but noted that meaningful results in agriculture could not be achieved overnight.
Ibilade said livestock development involved biological and administrative processes that required time to produce results, noting that the gestation period of animals was one example.
“Anything agriculture, be it livestock, crop or fisheries, has a waiting period,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that the ministry would sustain its efforts to develop the livestock sector and deliver meaningful results.
