There have been loud conversations around the prohibition of open grazing in some states in Nigeria recently. The voices of support or dissent have grown louder with the declaration of Southern Governors after their meeting in Asaba, Delta State in May 2021 that: “open grazing of cattle be banned across Southern Nigeria.” The Governors noted that “development and population growth has put pressure on available land and increased the prospect of conflict between migrating herders and local populations in the South. Given this scenario, it becomes imperative to enforce the ban on open grazing in the South (including cattle movement to the South by foot).”
While several commentators have taken apart the decision of the southern governors from a political viewpoint, it is important to consider the issue of open grazing of cattle and adoption of ranching systems from a business perspective. And in business terms, ranching and integrated farming systems provide far more advantages for increased productivity, income generation, improved livelihoods and the welfare of livestock.
For instance, according to a report published by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2019, productivity of local cow breeds managed by pastoralists is low at 0.5 to 1.5 litres of milk per day, compared to an average milk yield of 8 litres per day by cows in Nigeria’s managed pastures. Even globally, the report also showed that cows managed by pastoralists produce an average of 6.6 litres of milk per day, compared to the average yield of 30 litres of milk per day produced by cows in managed pastures.
The reality is that poor nutrition and poor disease management translate to low milk quality and quantity, which lead to low income. With pastoralists traversing the country in search of available forage and water sources, they pay little or no attention to the nutritional content and suitability of the feed and water their cows consume. In addition, the energy gained from the innutritious feed consumed through grazing is mainly used for trekking and will contribute little or nothing to the animal’s economic productivity. Moving around also exposes the pastoralist and his cattle to attacks by rustlers or communities of people whose farmlands they encroach on.
Therefore, it is our considered opinion that the first step to stemming the tide of bloody clashes in communities owing to herder-farmer conflicts is to stop the uncontrolled movement of cattle through communities and farmlands. The second step is to provide an enabling environment for the pastoralists to settle down and adopt ranching as a business idea. Consequently, it will not be enough to prohibit open grazing; Governors across the states must create an environment where the process of acquiring land for ranching and the actual set up of integrated farms with facilities to meet the needs of livestock and their keepers is easy and attractive for smallholder farmers to adopt.
Adopting ranching and other contemporary animal husbandry methods is the way to go for the livestock and dairy sectors in Nigeria. The benefits far outweigh the costs, and these include the cost of not doing it. So, the Commercial Dairy Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN) supports the prohibition of open grazing and advocates the adoption of ranching as a more profitable and a safer means of promoting commercial livestock and dairy business.
CODARAN remains committed to partnering with state governments all over Nigeria to facilitate the establishment and operation of ranches and milk processing facilities to create a vibrant and viable dairy business ecosystem for economic transformation in the states. Email: info@codaran.org