Pastoralists will soon be smiling, as they will get pastures with ease, while the incidence of conflict with farmers will reduce. It is believed that this development will also address the negative impact of herders’ invasion of farms to feed their cattle on food security. This is because states in the northern part of Nigeria are quietly creating an enabling environment for herders to ply their trade with minimal headache on how to get pastures for the animals. The latest in the state governments helping to find a way out of the problem is Gombe State. The state government, through its Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project, has trained 67 livestock farmers on pasture development to enhance the livestock value chain. The training was designed to expose participants to modern ways of pasture development for business, empowering youths and tackling unemployment.
The coordinator of the Gombe L-PRES project, Usman Abubakar, said the initiative would help reduce clashes between crop and livestock farmers by increasing the availability of fodder and water for livestock. He noted that the project had rehabilitated earth dams and constructed over 63 solar-powered boreholes across the state to support livestock production.
Abubakar emphasised that the training would promote a culture of growing quality pasture for livestock, reducing the need for herders to seek fodder and water in farmers’ farmlands. The training facilitator, Mahmud Bello, commended the Gombe State government and L-PRES for organising the training, as according to him, pasture development was a viable business opportunity for youths.