By Emamuzo Iboma
In Nigeria, a nation with a wealth of agricultural potential and cultural diversity, long-standing hostilities between farmers and pastoralists have been intensifying, with disastrous results for nearby communities. Millions of people have died, rural villages have been destroyed, and farmlands have been extensively devastated as a result of these two groups’ decades-long sworn enemy status.
The conflict has many underlying causes, including competition for resources and land, shifting demographics, and changing climatic conditions. The two factions’ fight for survival has devolved into bloody encounters marked by raids, counter-raids, and retaliatory violence.
According to Benue State farmer Yemi Adetola, “we see more and more conflict every season.” For our livelihoods, we are fighting. We are left with nothing when the herders bring their cattle onto our property and destroy our crops.
However, pastoralists who live on the move contend that they are going through their own existential crisis. According to the herders, who are mostly Fulani, their cattle need large grazing areas, which are gradually being reduced as a result of deforestation and agricultural growth. The pastoral leader Abubakar Suleiman states, “There is nowhere else for us to go.” “Our herds are suffering as the land dehydrates.”
Entire communities have been left desolate and thousands have been displaced as a result of this ongoing feud. Thousands have been killed in clashes and a large number of livestock have been lost in the last five years alone. According to recent UN estimates, the conflict has destroyed an estimated 1.5 million hectares of farmland, jeopardizing the food security of innumerable families.
Growing tensions are being made worse by political and ethnic divisions, making it difficult for the Nigerian government to mediate a peaceful settlement. The implementation of cattle routes and grazing reserves has been opposed by farmers and pastoralists who see these initiatives as violations of traditional rights.
International organizations caution that if the conflict’s underlying causes are not addressed, things will probably get worse. According to experts, community dialogue initiatives, improved resource management, and land rights reforms are essential components of any solution.
Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are taking action, facilitating discussions between the two groups in the hopes of fostering understanding and cooperation. “We must find common ground,” says Mariam Nkong, a conflict resolution specialist. “Creating dialogue platforms can help rebuild trust between farmers and pastoralists.
As the conflict rages on, families on both sides crave peace and stability. With the looming threat of food insecurity and loss of livelihood, dialogue and reconciliation are more important than ever. The ability of these two adversaries to find common ground in the face of their painful history may determine the future of agriculture in Nigeria, as well as the lives of millions of people.
Local leaders and community members remain optimistic that collaboration will one day replace conflict, paving the way for more peaceful coexistence in a land marked by both beauty and struggles.
The cattle require foliage, the farmers require crops, and the conflict continues.
However, beneath the simmering tensions between farmers and herders lies an overlooked solution: Nigeria’s untapped $1 billion feed and fodder sector. Experts believe that with the right investment and policy direction, this dormant industry has the potential to benefit not only livestock but also national harmony, economic growth, and rural resilience.
For context, fodders or feedstock are dried hay or straw meant for cattle and other livestock. They mostly grow in the northern part of the country.
To chart a path to long-term peace and progress, experts from various African Union Inter-African Bureaus for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) met in Abuja recently to brainstorm on how the country, and by extension the continent, can profit from it.
The conference’s theme was, “Harnessing Feed and Fodder Data for Sustainable Livestock Sector Development, Resilience, and Stability.”
Huyam Salih, Director of AU-IBAR, explained that it was time for Nigeria to capitalize on natural investment to get out of the farmers-herders crisis.
According to her, the food and fodder event aimed to boost production, establish a comprehensive feed inventory and balance sheet, and create a data dashboard to monitor availability in six African countries, including Nigeria.
Huyam explained that the initiative was intended to advance livestock development, improve food security, and stimulate growth in the feed and fodder industry.
She stated that the project entails creating a feed and fodder dashboard to collect production and availability data, allowing governments to take corrective action to support the sector.
“The dashboard will help identify gaps and shortages, allowing early warning systems to be put in place.”
She added that the project is being carried out in Nigeria (West Africa), Cameroon (Central Africa), Uganda and Kenya (East Africa), Somalia, and Zimbabwe (South Africa).
Salih stated that the high-level event is to hand over the feed and fodder balance and data dashboard to the Nigerian government, which was developed as one of the project’s activities.
“The continent’s feed and fodder gap is enormous, accounting for 48% of the challenges faced by Africa’s livestock sector.
“Feed and fodder is subject to different climatic factors and commercial issues. The project has worked with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to prepare the inventory and the balance sheet for the animal feed and fodder in Nigeria and other countries.
“Aside from that, we created the animal feed and fodder dashboard, which will track feed and fodder production and availability, as well as any gaps or shortages.
“This will be captured by the system and dashboard, and the work is done in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics, so that the government can take corrective action to support animal feed and fodder production,” she said.
Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development, also affirmed its potential to drive investment, increase productivity, and strengthen the resilience of livestock farmers across the country.
According to him, “these efforts have culminated in a reliable and scientifically validated Feed Inventory and Fodder Balance Report that provides an accurate picture of our feed resources, gaps, and opportunities.”
“More importantly, this initiative has provided us with tools to proactively plan for feed security, expand market opportunities, and improve millions of livestock farmers’ livelihoods.”
Furthermore, Professor Maikano Muhammad Ari, President of the Nigerian Feed and Fodder Multicultural Platform, reaffirmed the necessity for Nigeria to adequately feed its cattle.
According to him, “any country that cannot feed its animals cannot feed its own people.”
He did, however, identify two fundamental challenges: the first is addressing the deficit, and the second is taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the feed and fodder industry, particularly with regard to exports.
Ari said: “We simply cannot have a settled situation in Nigeria where we can’t be able to feed our animals.
“And you can see in us a highly nutritionally deficient community with a lot of stunted growth. And because of the lack of feed and fodder, we are all seeing a lot of crises and criminal problems.
Speaking on the conference, he said: “The target is to unveil the very good work that has been supported by AU-IBAR and supported in the Nigerian feed and fodder sector.
“Under what they call the RAF project, a number of activities over the past three or four months have culminated in a cross-country movement with participants from all over the African nation to be able to address the issue of feed and fodder, not just in Nigeria but throughout the African continent.”
“Secondly, it is an opportunity for us to also engage with one of our key documents, which is the policy document for feed and fodder. This document will serve as the driving notes, driving material, and strategic document that will help us achieve self-sufficiency and promote the opportunities available in the feed and fodder industry.”
On what it would cost Nigeria to bridge the 10 percent deficit, he said: “It is a function of many things. First, we are able to achieve what is known as a feed balance at this time.
“And then we are also hoping to do what we call a feed budget. As for the Naira and Kobo thing, it is a function of two, like I said, criteria. Right now, we have roughly 251 million tons of feed.
“We need to be able to close the gap. We must export more than one million metric tons of pure alfalfa in order to meet our export value requirements. Therefore, you can imagine what that would mean if you converted it to monetary value.
“Our expectations should not be overblown. It is not like electricity that goes off and then on and something happens.”
According to Laban MacOpiyo, the AU-IBAR Expert in Animal Production, Natural Resources Management, and Resilience, the majority of the livestock in the country’s northern region lack proper fodder, while the southern states have an abundance of feed and fodder that frequently ends up in the trash.
“Our assessment has assessed that this feed and fodder in Nigeria is a $1 billion investment opportunity,” he said.
