By Sola Rotimi
Agricultural extension agents have been called to promote a safe environment among herdsmen by encouraging them to embrace dialogue, negotiation, and conflict resolution mechanisms to end disputes with farmers.
A lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development at the University of Ilorin, Professor Sidiqat Aderinoye-Abdulwahab, made the call as part of her recommendation while delivering the two hundred and eighty-ninth (289th) inaugural lecture of the university.
Professor Aderinoye-Abdulwahab also urged the Federal Government to integrate sustainable pastoralism through grassland intensification as part of programmes in the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development.
In the lecture titled “Sustainable, Smart, and Safe Pastoralism in Nigeria,” Professor Aderinoye-Abdulwahab argued that both agriculture and pastoralism developed alongside each other, with continuous interactions as well as misunderstandings since ancient times.
She inferred that, at the root of the ancient conflict between them, were scarcity of resources, environmental impacts such as climate change, cultural differences, as well as perceived inequalities, hence the need for context-specific solutions.
According to her, herders are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as water and pasture for their livestock are mostly found in these areas, particularly during the dry season.
The agricultural extension and rural livelihood expert also recommended that livestock extension agents should provide sensitization and socio-cultural campaigns to encourage intermarriages between herdsmen and host farmers to exchange culture and foster peaceful coexistence.
She also charged the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) to adequately scale down weather forecast information through the media and viable agro-climate cooperation.
Professor Sidiqat Aderinoye-Abdulwahab emphasized the need for the Federal and State Governments, through the Ministries of Environment and Livestock Development, to control open grazing, indiscriminate tree-cutting, and licensing of firewood and charcoal businesses to preserve the environment.
The highlight of the event was her announcement of an endowment fund of one point five million naira as a scholarship for the best graduating students of Agricultural Extension, as a way of giving back to society and encouraging future.
Edited by Azeezat Hambali
About The Author
I solely agree with her observations
Government should please look into the aforementioned constraints and give suitable solutions .