The National Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support  Project, Sanusi Abubakar, has announced steps to commercialise pasture production in Nigeria as part of a broader strategy to address two major drivers of conflict in the livestock sector: pasture and water.

This was announced at the L-PRES  project workshop on technologies for sustainable pasture production and management in Nigeria held in Abuja on Wednesday.

Abubakar noted that pasture and water remain key triggers of conflict in livestock production. “We are organising this very important pasture workshop because in the livestock sector, we have two drivers of conflict: water and pasture.”

He revealed that countries like Brazil, the Netherlands, and Israel are showcasing their technologies, saying, “Brazil, Netherlands, so today is the turn of Israel. They have approached us with their companies, and we have said okay, let’s showcase it to our 20 states.”

He added, “We want to commercialize pasture. We want to buy feed for cattle, sheep, and goats so that you can reduce the radius of conflict. If you address these two (water and Pasture), you are addressing the drivers of conflict. You will reduce the radius of movement of the pastoralists. If you reduce the radius, you are reducing the conflict.”

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, represented by Ishaq Bello, described the initiative as “both forward-thinking and critical to the future of livestock productivity, food security, and peaceful co-existence across our nation.”

“As we confront pressing challenges ranging from overgrazing and climate stress to rising tensions over scarce pasture resources, it has become evident that innovation and collaboration must be our most potent tools,” he said.

“The pursuit of sustainable pasture management is not merely an agricultural undertaking; it is a pathway toward environmental stewardship, social stability, and economic resilience.”

Bello added that partnerships with international stakeholders, especially Israel, are vital. “This workshop underscores the importance of global partnerships, including collaborations with esteemed institutions and government agencies in Israel, to harness climate-smart technologies and digital innovations.”

Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, represented by Director-General, Borno State Livestock Management Agency, Bukar Usman, said Borno is positioned to lead the shift to commercial livestock operations.

He added that “Borno State is open for anybody that wants to invest in livestock, and the state governor is ready to either give on lease or give a C of O to whoever wants to invest in any of these grazing reserves on a commercial scale.”

Also speaking on the issue, the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, stressed the bank’s role in enabling transformation. “We believe that the livestock sector is not just an important one for our food systems, it’s a very critical one for our food system,” he said. “Effective and sustainable pastoral management is not merely an agricultural practice; it is the cornerstone for sustainable livestock production.”

He noted a looming 250 per cent increase in demand for animal products by 2035, saying, “Pasture land has been degraded and there’s a huge increase in demand for animal production or animal products across the continent.”

The bank, he said, will support the sector with financing, tagging programs, and three pillars of investment: “One will be a national artificial insemination program across the board. Number two will be to invest in feed-in states. Number three will be to invest in human capital development, training of our farmers.”