As the incessant farmer-herder crisis continues to loom across Nigeria, many lives and property have been lost, prompting coordinated and decisive intervention to curb the menace. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammad Abubakar voiced this issue, saying that the country’s key stakeholders must collaborate to find a permanent solution to the farmer-herder clashes ravaging the country. According to him, the dispute poses a danger to the country’s sovereignty, food security, and national security at the present moment.
At the opening of a regional summit tagged “Promoting Peace and Climate Security in the Crop and Livestock farming Sectors,” the minister highlighted the summit’s significant impact, noting that it is essential in creating opportunity for deliberations and discourse on the path forward for reaching harmonious relationship between crop farmers and livestock. Abubakar claims the farmers and herders, both past and present, have had to face these challenges, with those living in rural areas having to deal with it the most as they have a better grasp of the problem and are more equipped to deal with it using traditional means.
Increased violence over scarce resources is a duly to climate change.
Further, the minister noted that the problem had taken on various facets, demanding insightful investigations into the origins of the escalated, unjustifiable assaults by farmer-herders in the dispute and new approaches to resolution. He claims there has been a new uptick in the age-old conflict, which can be traced back to the intricate interplay between the shifting availability and access to natural resources (land and water) in the area as a consequence of climate change.
The rapidly expanding population of people and animals, limited arable and grazing grounds, industrialization, unfavorable political influence, and weakening of age-old yet effective conflict management methods are further reasons. He says that the increased competitiveness and violence over scarce resources is a direct outcome of climate change. While Abubakar acknowledges that climate change did not directly cause the movement of herders to the south and center of Nigeria, he does claim that it has accelerated the exodus of herders from regions with more frequent drought and fewer natural resources to the south forest zone, where they can better care for their livestock.
Government is keen on replenishing the sub-regional lake.
The minister mentioned an instance of the northeastern part of Nigeria, where the loss of water in the oasis in the arid Lake Chad is devastatingly impacting the daily lives of more than 45 million people living in the Basin. Many people near the lake rely on it for their livelihood, including farmers, fishermen, and cattle rearers. The depletion of Lake Chad is a significant contributor to the regional problem, which has seen fishermen, farmers, and herders compete for scarce supplies.
Terrorist acts of Boko Haram in the area, banditry and abduction for ransom have only made matters worse, spreading to other regions of Nigeria and neighboring countries. However, he argues that the Nigerian government is keen on replenishing the sub-regional lake and halting its further shrinking so it may revert to its former splendor. The administration made many requests to international organizations, development partners, and other African and worldwide allies in an attempt to alleviate the crisis.
Emphasizing the summit’s significant importance.
Abubakar claims that Nigeria’s and West Africa’s livestock industry is vital to the sustaining employment of millions of people via its many value chains. Thus, he urged the summit to conceptualize, analyze, and commiserate as national and regional main players in the livestock industry and climate security sector to promote regional peace and climate security in the livestock sector. Meanwhile, the summit was organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
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FG seeks durable Farmer-Herder crisis remedy – Stakeholders must collaborate to put a stop to the farmer-herder clashes. – Express your point of view.
When will this farmer – herder fight actually stop?
The herders continue to allow Their flocks pass through the farmers farms, and spoil their crops. The farmers will of course surely react.
The clash between farmers and herder is somehow political and the politicians take advantage of it to perpetrate their evil agenda All what is needed to be done concerning the farmer herder clash should be done so that there will be end to the clash.
Farmer-herders crisis has been on for a long time because our stakeholders are also politicizing everything in this country because the fight between commoners I of immense benefits to them and I hope it is resolved quickly for all to have a lasting peace
FG seeks durable Farmer-Herder crisis remedy. Federal government should stop the herder from entering people farm. That is the only solution. Government need to penalize any herder entering into somebody farm.
Because our stakeholders also politicize everything in this nation, the farmer-herders problem has been ongoing for a while. The government would have put an end to this long ago if it had wanted to. They appear to gain from the crisis.
The regional issue, which has seen fishermen, farmers, and herders contend for limited resources, is greatly exacerbated by Lake Chad’s decline. Whatever needs to be done to end this clashes should be done
The never-ending conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria has resulted in the loss of a great number of lives and properties, which has necessitated an intervention that is both coordinated and decisive in order to put an end to the problem.
The relevant parties in the country need to work together to find a permanent solution to the conflicts between farmers and herders, which are wreaking havoc on the country.
They ought to be aware that the issue poses a threat to the sovereignty of the country, as well as to the nation’s food security and national security at the present time.
This is a new step in a fight that has been going on for a long time. It has to do with the complicated relationship between the changing availability of natural resources and the different levels of access to those resources.
This farmer herder fight need to stop all this life they are just been lose due to the fight. They are destroying the farm so the farmer will try and fight back that what is causing fight everyone of the should maintain there line
This means that herders in areas where drought is more common and resources are scarcer have a greater incentive to go to the south forest zone.
Through its plethora of value chains, the cattle business in West Africa is essential to the maintenance of employment for millions of people.
Abubakar urges the summit to conceptualize, analyze, and commiserate as national and regional main players in the livestock industry and climate security sector to promote regional peace and climate security in the livestock sector. I think that’s a good idea.
The drying up of Lake Chad has only made things worse in a region where fishermen, farmers, and herders are already struggling to share scarce resources. Whatever it takes to put a stop to these conflicts, it must be done.
The ongoing conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria has cost many lives and properties, requiring a planned and determined response.
The farmer-herder issue has persisted because our stakeholders politicize everything in this nation. If it wished, the government could have ended this long ago. Crisis benefits them.
Our country’s stakeholders have been politicizing the farmer-herder conflict for a long time because they stand to gain so much from it. I pray that this conflict will be settled soon so that everyone can live in peace for the foreseeable future.
The long conflict between the farmer and the herders needs to stop. It has affected the majority of Neighborhoods adversely. it needs to stop.
See this issues of farmers-herders clashes shouldn’t be an issues. If an herder want a grazing land for his cattle, he should pay for it. The best practice all over the world is cattle ranching. I don’t know why Nigerian case is different.
The power of this herders grew since this administration took over power. The herders are being empowered by this current administration that seeks to grab lands from other states and give it to them for settlement. The herder show be made to realize that they need to pay for their own land for their cattle rather that destroy farms and farm lands. They should adopt modern means of rearing cattles and that is ranching.