Description
Nigeria is a West African country with a huge population and over 70% of the population are peasant and subsistence farmers scattered in rural areas. Due to a decrease in arable and grazing lands, there are clashes between crop farmers and herders which have increased significantly in the last two decades. Some of the causes of the clashes include the destruction of crops by cattle, contamination of drinking water sources, sexual harassment of women by herders, animal rustling and killings, impunity and ineffective governance security agencies, tremendous increase in population, urbanization, desertification, industrialisation, insurgency, banditry, ethnic and religious inclination, effects of climate change, poverty among others. It is estimated that 13.7 billion dollars have been lost due to these clashes. This is in addition to the loss of human lives and a huge number of internally displaced persons. There are efforts to curb these clashes. One of the ways to achieve this is the use of ranching where livestock will not graze in the open. Ranching has the potential to increase productivity, the attraction of socio and economic infrastructure, create employment, and prevent animal rustling among others. This paper seeks to examine ranching as one of the ways to improve livestock productivity and curb farmers-herder clashes in Nigeria.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Curbing Crop Farmers and Herders Clashes in Nigeria: The Ranching Option
Nigeria is a West African country with a huge population and over 70% of the population are peasant and subsistence farmers scattered in rural areas. Due to a decrease in arable and grazing lands, there are clashes between crop farmers and herders which have increased significantly in the last two decades. Some of the causes of the clashes include the destruction of crops by cattle, contamination of drinking water sources, sexual harassment of women by herders, animal rustling and killings, impunity and ineffective governance security agencies, tremendous increase in population, urbanization, desertification, industrialisation, insurgency, banditry, ethnic and religious inclination, effects of climate change, poverty among others. It is estimated that 13.7 billion dollars have been lost due to these clashes. This is in addition to the loss of human lives and a huge number of internally displaced persons. There are efforts to curb these clashes. One of the ways to achieve this is the use of ranching where livestock will not graze in the open. Ranching has the potential to increase productivity, the attraction of socio and economic infrastructure, create employment, and prevent animal rustling among others. This paper seeks to examine ranching as one of the ways to improve livestock productivity and curb farmers-herder clashes in Nigeria.
