1 min
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. In this weeks letter, Babatunde discusses solutions to the Nigerian farmer-herder crisis, which has been escalating and destabilising the region. Last week's letter is available here.
The age long farmer-herder crisis in Nigeria can no longer be overlooked, as it affects the stability of the country. In the last few years, the tension has increased, leading to loss of property, livelihood, and lives. Thus, there is a need to offer a way forward to salvage the situation at hand.
First, we need a national orientation program to sensitise people on new approaches to do business, especially cattle grazing. (It is not sustainable and population explosion is a key factor) This program should target primarily herders and other key stakeholders in the cattle value chain (including cattle owners).
Thirdly, every herder outside the country should be mandated to register and be licensed to graze in Nigeria. As much as I don't support open grazing, it may take up to 20 years to phase this practise out completely. So, the government should put structures in place to register herders (especially foreigners).
Lastly, there is no fit-for-all solution, and every state should come up with a blueprint that will help to curb the tension that has been created. Yes, we need a united country to build a sustainable growth. We need peace to build the agricultural sector and protect the lives of every one to achieve food security.
Yours-in-service
Babatunde
A tractor on a Nigerian crop farm in Kano State.
Milk is stored and delivered in containers such as these.
Agrobiologist and agronomist Henk Breman, who worked in subsahara Africa for many years, on herders and food security in Africa (in French)
First, we need a national orientation program to sensitise people on new approaches to do business, especially cattle grazing. (It is not sustainable and population explosion is a key factor) This program should target primarily herders and other key stakeholders in the cattle value chain (including cattle owners).
We need a united country to build a sustainable growthSecondly, encouraging the establishment of private ranches across the country would really be of great benefit. Government should implement policies that strengthen the cattle value chain, especially establishment of ranches to encourage investors. This can be achieved through tax exemption, subsidies, and import waivers for livestock equipment, amongst others.
Thirdly, every herder outside the country should be mandated to register and be licensed to graze in Nigeria. As much as I don't support open grazing, it may take up to 20 years to phase this practise out completely. So, the government should put structures in place to register herders (especially foreigners).
Lastly, there is no fit-for-all solution, and every state should come up with a blueprint that will help to curb the tension that has been created. Yes, we need a united country to build a sustainable growth. We need peace to build the agricultural sector and protect the lives of every one to achieve food security.
Yours-in-service
Babatunde
Agrobiologist and agronomist Henk Breman, who worked in subsahara Africa for many years, on herders and food security in Africa (in French)
For those who didn't see it yet: Babatunde's Part 2 of this letter is available now. Core message: avoid playing the tribal card.
@Dick. Thank you for your questions.
1. what can government do to make your proposal work for the herdsmen? (according to Henk they loose out in output - that will be their agronomic barrier to stick to laws and registration rules). *There is need for the government to provide alternative routes for the herders in carrying out open grazing (although, I have not been a supported of open grazing as the disadvantages outweighs its merits). The issue of alternative routes is that as population expands, people inhibit these new routes and the problem persist in the future. For permanent solution, privately managed ranch should be looked into, where government can earmarked specific land areas (like 10,000/30,000 hectares) specifically for ranching business)*
2. can improving their productivity (as Henk puts it elegantly - chemical - 'fertilizer for peace!') help out both sides, herdsmen and sedentary arable farmers? *It will be difficult for both co-existence between the herdsmen and arable farmers. The current situation has created a tension where both can no longer trust themselves. Farmers don't even trust the government as it is perceived that they (government) supports the invasion of herdsmen. So, what peace means to an average arable farmer is not to see herdsmen close to his or her livelihood (farms). This is the current narrative. Maybe in the long term, it is possible when there will be mutual understanding and respect, then, this co-existence or fertilizer for peace would be useful*
3. is milk production and processing allocated to convenient places (i.e. according to good old Von Thünen's land use model)?
Milk production and processing are managed by the "high and mighty". It is well organized (collection and distribution).
4. how can companies like Friesland be helped to catalyse their own market endeavours by government support (what kind?)? *R&D in developing alternative means of feeding cattles and promoting this alternatives amongst their herdsmen. Friesland have various collection centres in various parts of the country where they collect milk for processing. Also, educating the herdsmen on embracing peace and tolerance especially with their host communities. There is need to teach herdsmen on conflict resolution techniques (revenge mission is not a means to build relationship and mutual respect in their various communities)*
For our Dutch readers, please check the plea Niek Koning and Wouter v.d. Weijden published here two days ago. And check Ikechi Agbugba's plea for an agro development scheme for Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa in general (in English).
Diederick #9, please an illustration regarding your "smarter solutions". In my opinion, my suggestion is covered by your description. The suggested solution, agricultural development, requires collaboration between governments, also representing consumers, bussiness peoples and crop and livestock producers, and is able to change competition in common actions, creating win-win situations through resources reinforcements.
Very interesting issue and conversation indeed! It reminds me of my humble contributions to a longterm Inter-Univerity project in Nigeria, including goat production systems under humid agro-ecological conditions, many years ago. Very different from cattle - savannah conditions indeed, not only from eco-agricultural point of view but certainly also ('by definition") from socio-cultural and socio-economical point of view.
Yet, I wonder if the "farmer-herder dichotomy" is the appropriate framework for the kind of issues raised in this conversation, and if this narritive is not too narrow . Agronomical, ecological, foodprocessing technologies, herd management practices, land rights, grazing right, cattle ownership... all are part and parcel of many projects (all over the continent) for many decades..
Also, if I look at suggestions and solutions in this conversation, I think we certainly have enough agro-ecological technologies at hand, but we lack societal constructs to apply these in an increasingly complex society (not only in Nigeria). For two generations societies are confronted with strong demographic and sociocultural dynamics that create impact far beyonf the farmer-herder narrative. These on-going changes are coupled with increasing differentiation of interests (call it 'conflicts'), certainly concerning primary resources of livelihoods in a rapid changing economy, be it rural, semi-urban, urban, regional, national (how many States do we count in Nigeria alone?) Federal...and what ever definition you apply to the multi-stakeholder 'value chains' of food systems, their actors-stakeholders, including the consumers.
I may be a dreamer, but can't we find smarter solutions in the multifaceted and entangled contexts at hand by starting to widen up our classical farmer-herder narrative towards a societal framework which does not exclude (agricultural) technologies and land rights but focusses on the actors' networks and cooperation not only for the sake of actors' interests but also for common reciprocal interests. Yes a thing you may call 'modern' common good, such as inclusive food & nutrition security?