A group of Nigerian students on doctoral and other postgraduate research courses at the Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands have developed a ranching model which aims to solve the recurring violence between farmers and herdsmen.
“The establishment of cattle colony has been recommended as a solution to the conflict. However, this approach is not feasible unless the root cause of the problem is addressed comprehensively and sustainably, implying that a ranch business model that caters for the basic needs of the herdsmen and the herd must be thoroughly implemented,” said Abiodun Jegede, in a presentation on behalf of the group.
The presentation which was made at Wageningen before a Dutch delegation from Nigeria, led by the Robert Petri, the Netherlands ambassador to Nigeria, aims to develop a business model known as Agri-tourism which is meant to provide a sustainable ranching system to help the Fulani community and all other stakeholders interested in cattle business to properly integrate with the global society, to ensure peaceful coexistence as a nation.
The group expects to achieve this by addressing a number of questions on: how climate change impact can be reversed; how water and feed can be provided abundantly; how a circular economy can be maintained within the ranch; and how the cherished nomad philosophy of the Fulani can be preserved.
Abiodun Jegede, a PhD candidate in Environmental Technology at Wageningen, told BusinessDay “this idea can contribute to ending the herdsmen-farmer clashes and improve the livestock industry in Nigeria. In addition, this concept will help to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and can contribute to powering our rural communities.”
The application of scientific studies, integration of all major stakeholders and implementation of a sustainable business model is in the expectation of the group going to deliver a ranching system that will be acceptable to both farmers and herdsmen. If successfully implemented, the ranch will provide products such as milk, meat etc. and services such as grazing, orchard/non-wildlife tours, school tours, recreational harvest, sport, eco-tainment, horse racing, rural home stay etc. In addition, net electricity produced from anaerobic digestion of the cattle manure could be sold to the grid to earn additional revenue.
Onu Ekpa, a PhD candidate in Food Quality and Design group, Wageningen University, who is also a member of the group, expressed the view that “Nigeria risks worsening food security problems if the crisis continues. We are building a model that treats agriculture as a viable business rather than as a tool for social and political exploits. We are optimistic that our model which aims to address water, feed, energy and environmental issues will be a sustainable solution. Agritourism is an added value to the model, it will generate a lot of revenue for Nigeria, mitigate climate change and preserve our ecosystem.”
Petri, the Dutch ambassador to Nigeria, lauded the group’s initiative to solve a problem which is bedeviling the country’s agricultural sector, pledging to study the model in detail and offering whatever assistance is possible.
A report by Mercy Corps, which is sponsored by British Department for International Development (DFID) cited in the group’s presentation, stated that the farmers-herdsmen conflict in Nigeria has lasted for more than a decade with no gaze on a lasting solution. The conflict has further worsened the prevailing insecurity in the nation, contributing immensely to poverty and food insecurity even in regions, such as Benue, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba state purported as the food basket of the country. Since 2006, more than 1,400 people, including farmers, herdsmen, and locals from the host communities, have been killed as a result of the clashes related to cattle grazing (including more than 70 farmers recently killed in Benue – January 2018), and over 100,000 casualties in form of farms, houses and other valuables, have been recorded over the years with property worth $14 billion lost between 2013 – 2016 only.
Other Nigerian students in Wageningen collaborating to solve this herdsmen-farmer debacle include; Agboola Jeleel Opeyemi, PhD Aquaculture and Fisheries; Oluwaseun Johnson Akinlade, MSc Plant science (Plant Breeding and Genetic resources); Adefemi Orodeji, MSc Plant science (Plant Breeding and Genetic resources); Ibrahim Jibrila, PhD Animal Breeding and Genetics; Luqman Adeiza Jinadu, MSc Animal Breeding and Genetics\Animal Production System; Agho Collins Aimuaenvbosa, MSc Plant Biotechnology (Molecular Plant Breeding and Pathology); and Sandra Anastasia Akerjiir, MSc International Development Studies (Politics and Governance of Development).
Ibukunoluwa Afolami , PhD Human nutrition.
CALEB OJEWALE
