Last week I started this discussion which generated some reactions especially on the agrifoodnetworks.org section on Foodlog.nl. This issue is very sensitive, and I need to take caution to avoid fueling or contributing to the tribal war already playing out in Nigeria.
To address some of the issues raised:
1. We need to see the Farmers-Herders crisis beyond politics as many have perceived. The issue should rather be viewed as survival of the fittest (livelihood survival). Livelihood which is already being threatened as a result of climate change is affecting every sundry.
2. Every stakeholder needs to embrace farming as a business - be it herding or crop production, with an end result to make ends meet. Thus, every business needs to be invested in to make a good return. This should be the status quo. The business culture should be the only accepted norm and every culture should be subjected to it. Nothing more, nothing less.
3. We need to stop the narrative of referring to herdsmen as "Fulani" which is posing a threat to our unity as a nation. The atrocities perpetrated by some herdsmen should be condemned by all, but we should avoid playing the tribal card which could lead to bigger problems across the Nation (which is currently posing threats as we read)
5. Solving this age long issue as a nation requires a holistic view. Identifying and understanding the root cause (rather than the symptoms) is the first stage in proffering the needed solutions. Let empathy lead and reconciliation follows. Our unity is beyond the interest of an individual!
6. Lastly, our co-existence should benefit one another (herdsmen and arable farmers), we need all hands on deck to achieve zero hunger. This can be achieved when peace and unity is restored, wounds are healed and bridges are amended. It is time to rebuild for a greater future and a better agricultural ecosystem in our nation.
Yours-in-service
Babatunde
In his weekly column Letter to my Farmers, Babatunde Olarewajo writes about personal experiences and insights on farming, curated through working with smallholder farmers in Africa. Last week's letter is available here.
1. We need to see the Farmers-Herders crisis beyond politics as many have perceived. The issue should rather be viewed as survival of the fittest (livelihood survival). Livelihood which is already being threatened as a result of climate change is affecting every sundry.
2. Every stakeholder needs to embrace farming as a business - be it herding or crop production, with an end result to make ends meet. Thus, every business needs to be invested in to make a good return. This should be the status quo. The business culture should be the only accepted norm and every culture should be subjected to it. Nothing more, nothing less.
3. We need to stop the narrative of referring to herdsmen as "Fulani" which is posing a threat to our unity as a nation. The atrocities perpetrated by some herdsmen should be condemned by all, but we should avoid playing the tribal card which could lead to bigger problems across the Nation (which is currently posing threats as we read)
Let empathy lead and reconciliation follows. Our unity is beyond the interest of an individual4. Arable farmers and herdsmen are important assets in achieving food security. No one of them is greater than the other. Arable farmers and herdsmen must be protected including their livelihood. No one should lose their livelihood as a result of another's activities. The government must come out to address these issues with all sense of patriotism without being biased and stop passing blames to the opposition.
5. Solving this age long issue as a nation requires a holistic view. Identifying and understanding the root cause (rather than the symptoms) is the first stage in proffering the needed solutions. Let empathy lead and reconciliation follows. Our unity is beyond the interest of an individual!
6. Lastly, our co-existence should benefit one another (herdsmen and arable farmers), we need all hands on deck to achieve zero hunger. This can be achieved when peace and unity is restored, wounds are healed and bridges are amended. It is time to rebuild for a greater future and a better agricultural ecosystem in our nation.
Yours-in-service
Babatunde
In his weekly column Letter to my Farmers, Babatunde Olarewajo writes about personal experiences and insights on farming, curated through working with smallholder farmers in Africa. Last week's letter is available here.
Gil and Babatunde, the challenge - as I am getting the message clearer by the day, reading you and talking to you - is multifaceted. Government needs to create funds to compensate for losses by grazing when it hits arable farmers that cannot be insured. Herdsmen need to learn what property rights are and how they could benefit them. Better infrastructures, both general (roads) and specific (storage and processing technologies), need to reduce post harvest losses and create livings form better commercial performances. All of that makes up for peace.
Let's see if we can up with new combinations to improve the situation by making this tone of voice better heard and acted upon. It's no small ambition ...
Good piece for reflection and possibly a stepping stone for a solution-based discussion @ Babatunde Olarewaju. Although it seems like the call is more to the people to ''make peace with each other'', I think the federal government of Nigeria needs to take this issue with urgency and come up with a contingency plan. If the south has greener pastures, herdsmen will keep coming south. As long as the land belongs to the ''state'' and food security that these two conflicting groups contribute toward is also a matter of state interest, then it is time to go beyond ''business as usual'' to address this persisting conflict.
With regard to the spiritual dimension of development processes, I would like to refer to my PhD thesis:
Van Eijk, T. (1998). Farming Systems Research and Spirituality. An analysis of the foundations of professionalism in developing sustainable farming systems. PhD thesis, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. http://edepot.wur.nl/121226
Best regards,
Toon van Eijk
www.toon-van-eijk.nl
@Otto. Very insightful. The spiritual bit you brought into the discourse is powerful and should be explored. I will think through this and give my further opinion. Thank you for this brilliant contribution.
Ikechi Agbugba, could you also give reflection from a supply chain and (business) economics perspective?