The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project has reduced farmer-herder clashes in Kaduna State by 70 per cent.
Dr Musa Abba, Head of the Conflict Resolution Component and Conflict Safeguard Officer for L-PRES, disclosed this in an interview with reporters in Kaduna on Monday.
Abba said the project had invested in cattle stock routes and developed a seasonal calendar to regulate livestock movement while minimising encroachment on farmland.
He attributed the reduction to interventions targeting major causes of disputes, particularly competition over land, water and pasture.
According to him, 19 communities were selected for a pilot sedentary livestock programme aimed at improving animal husbandry and reducing pressure on farming communities.
He said the communities received solar power facilities, boreholes, drinking troughs, tricycles, milking cans and milking sheds.
Abba said cattle dips were also constructed to improve livestock hygiene and prevent disease.
He said the project distributed 5,000 solar-powered milking machines to 500 cooperatives, with each cooperative comprising 10 beneficiaries.
He added that poultry farmers received day-old chicks, seven bags of feed and glucose as starter packs to support their businesses.
Abba said livestock farmers were also provided with chopper machines to process crop residues, including maize and soya beans, while molasses was supplied to improve animal feed.
He explained that the tricycles would facilitate milk transportation for processing and the movement of crop residues to designated feeding areas.
The conflict resolution officer said the project had also provided solar-powered boreholes and drinking troughs to some livestock settlements outside the 19 pilot communities.
He said 2,500 animals were earmarked for artificial insemination to improve breeding, adding that about 1,700 had been reached across the state.
On measures to address recurring clashes, Abba said the project planned to identify and clear encroached cattle stock routes, install boundary markers and establish resting points.
He said a proposal for additional financing had been submitted to develop 25 kilometres of pasture along a primary cattle stock route, with work planned at five-kilometre intervals.
According to him, the initiative would give herders access to pasture along designated routes and reduce the need to move cattle into farmlands in search of feed.
Abba said pasture was also being developed in selected grazing reserves in Damo, Kagarko, Kachia and Birnin Gwari.
He said 30 hectares were earmarked for pasture development, while another 20 hectares would be used for seed multiplication.
The L-PRES official said the project had implemented interventions in 22 local government areas, although activities in Jaba had been suspended due to unresolved challenges.
He said L-PRES had also constructed abattoirs and slaughter slabs, with plans to install biodigesters and incinerators to improve sanitation and waste management.
Abba said the interventions were guided by the “One Health” approach, which recognises the links between animal, human and environmental health.
He said regular engagements with farmers and herders, including visits to project sites, had helped the project identify grievances and address sources of conflict.
He expressed optimism that the interventions would further reduce farmer-herder disputes and promote peaceful coexistence between farming and livestock communities in the state.
