The Federal Government has announced plans to rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves across Nigeria and develop modern ranching settlements in six areas affected by persistent farmers-herders clashes.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Maiha identified Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Adamawa states, alongside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as priority locations because of their history of farmers-herders conflicts.

He said the government had already launched a pilot ranching scheme in Plateau State to test a livestock production model aimed at reducing cattle movement and the conflicts associated with open grazing.

According to the minister, the government is consulting pastoralist communities and about 34 organisations as part of efforts to secure support for transitioning from nomadic livestock production to ranching.

He said the ministry recently met pastoralists led by the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, with another meeting expected within two weeks.

Maiha said the decline of traditional grazing routes due to farming, urbanisation and infrastructure development had made nomadic livestock production increasingly unsustainable.

“Why don’t you provide these resources and stop these animals from moving? Human beings can move; they don’t cause crises. It’s the animals’ movement that normally generates this crisis,”

he said.

Under the proposed ranching model, the government plans to promote commercial pasture cultivation, with fodder grown within livestock settlements or harvested elsewhere and transported to ranches.

The minister also said breed improvement would enable herders to keep fewer but more productive animals, reducing pressure on land while increasing milk and meat production.

The rehabilitated grazing reserves are expected to become integrated economic communities with housing, veterinary clinics, schools, healthcare facilities, solar power and earth dams for pasture irrigation.

“At the end of the day, each of those grazing reserves will become an economic hub,”

Maiha said.

He added that the government would encourage milk processors, modular abattoirs and biodigesters to establish businesses within the ranching settlements, creating jobs and supporting the livestock value chain.

The minister said consultations with pastoralists had so far generated no resistance, arguing that nomadism could no longer be sustained under current conditions.

As part of efforts to modernise livestock management, the government also plans to introduce radio-frequency identification tags for cattle to establish ownership, track livestock and support the creation of a national livestock database.

Maiha further disclosed that seven model veterinary clinics had already been constructed, with plans to establish at least one model veterinary hospital in every state.

The government is also encouraging investment in modern abattoirs and large-scale dairy projects, while promoting commercial fodder production for both domestic consumption and export.