Ranching policy pilots in six states
Federal Government identifies six states for ranching policy pilot.
The Federal Government has identified six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the pilot implementation of its National Ranching Policy. Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, disclosed this after briefing President Bola Tinubu on the ministry’s activities at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday. Maiha said the pilot programme would commence at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau as a proof of concept for the new ranching model.
He identified the states as Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa, alongside the FCT. According to him, the areas were selected because they have recorded some of the highest incidences of farmer-herder conflicts in recent years. “Our understanding is that large numbers of cattle on the move are crisis-prone because grazing routes have disappeared due to farming, urbanisation and infrastructure development. Nomadism, as we know it, is no longer sustainable and we need a different concept,” he said.
Maiha said the policy would encourage pastoralists to rear animals in designated locations rather than move them over long distances. The government would provide housing, veterinary clinics, schools, primary healthcare centres, solar lighting and water infrastructure in designated ranching communities. Each grazing reserve would evolve into an economic hub capable of attracting milk processors, modular abattoirs, bio-digesters and other livestock-related businesses.
The shift from nomadism to ranching is a historic transformation. The farmer-herder conflict has claimed thousands of lives, and the policy aims to address the root cause: the movement of cattle over long distances. The provision of infrastructure in ranching communities is a recognition that pastoralists need support to make the transition. The success of the policy will depend on implementation and the willingness of pastoralists to adopt the new model.
This echoes the 2018 Benue anti-open grazing law, which also sought to address farmer-herder conflicts. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a push for a new approach to livestock management.
The winners: farmers and pastoralists, who may benefit from reduced conflict; and the Nigerian government, which is addressing a root cause of insecurity. The losers: those who benefit from the status quo; and the Nigerian public, who must hope the policy is implemented effectively.
Bottom Line: Nigeria is piloting a new ranching policy in six states. The shift from nomadism could end farmer-herder conflicts. The question is whether the policy will work or fail.