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File copy: Herdsmen and cattle. CREDIT: Saheed Olugbon
HAVING submitted its report to President Bola Tinubu with some far-reaching recommendations, the endorsement of the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee that open grazing should be practised for another 10 years is misconceived and at variance with global livestock practices.
At best, it is a backward step in reforming and repositioning the outdated livestock approaches with the accompanying human and economic losses.
Therefore, Tinubu should not adopt any recommendations that may entrench the status quo that the livestock reform committee was set up to uproot. The President should cancel the idea of a livestock ministry and use the Ministry of Agriculture.
Though the committee made a valid point that the sudden abrogation of open grazing may be counterproductive, the proposed 10-year timeline is unacceptable. Eliminating open grazing should not take that long.
Lee Kuan Yew, ex-Prime Minister of Singapore, ended nomadic pastoralism in his country within three months. He did not set up a livestock ministry to implement his ranching objectives.
One of the most notable problems posed by open grazing is frequent attacks on farmers by herders. Conflicts arise when livestock stray into farmland, destroying crops and livelihoods. At least 2,600 people were killed in 2021 by herders and bandits involved in cattle rustling, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
Open grazing thus threatens food security by disrupting farming and causing social conflict. In 2014, the Global Terrorism Index cited Fulani herdsmen among the top four terrorist organisations globally.
Given Nigeria’s increasing population and the subsequent demand for arable land, competition for land use has become a serious issue. The destruction of crops by vagrant livestock exacerbates tensions between farming communities and herders, often resulting in violence.
Nigeria has 58 million cattle. It is naïve to think this huge population will be wandering around without provoking conflict.
Nigeria’s delicate ecosystems are suffering due to the unchecked movement of livestock. Open grazing leads to overgrazing, which depletes the vegetation cover, increasing the risk of desertification. Over time, this has worsened the effects of climate change, as exposed soil becomes more prone to erosion and less fertile.
The southward movement of herders seeking greener pastures places additional pressure on forest reserves and protected areas, threatening the country’s biodiversity. In the long term, the degradation of natural resources makes the land less productive for both agriculture and livestock farming, creating a cycle of environmental and economic decline.
Another dimension of the open grazing debate relates to public health. The uncontrolled movement of livestock can spread diseases among animals, such as foot-and-mouth disease, and tuberculosis, which can also affect humans.
In contrast, more controlled and sedentary livestock-rearing practices can ensure better health monitoring and management, protecting human populations and livestock.
Open grazing is increasingly becoming economically inefficient in the face of modern agricultural challenges. For herders, wandering in vast areas for pasture is a high-risk and low-reward venture. Many countries have long shifted away from open grazing to ranching or feedlot systems, which offer better livestock productivity, lower mortality rates, and increased profitability.
Conversely, ranching allows for more controlled breeding, feeding, and veterinary care, leading to healthier livestock and higher meat and dairy yields. This shift to ranching or other modern livestock systems would also create job opportunities in the agricultural sector, from fodder production to feed supply chains and veterinary services.
To address these challenges, Nigeria needs to modernise its livestock sector. Countries like Brazil and the United States have transformed livestock farming through investment in ranching and other sustainable models. Nigeria’s potential for growth in the agriculture sector is immense, but adopting backward practices like open grazing continues to hold Nigeria back.
