A Policy dialogue to strengthen livestock cooperatives as a strategy for climate adaptation organised by the development Research and Projects Centre, dRPC, in collaboration with the National Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria, CFAN, called for climate-smart agriculture and livestock development as a way to improve food security and mitigate the impact of insecurity, and economic growth.
The one-day policy dialogue, organised as part of the World Cooperatives Day commemoration, brought together experts from government, academia, and civil society to brainstorm and propose solutions to the challenges bedevilling the livestock sector in Nigeria.
In his presentation, Professor of Agricultural Economy at Usman Danfodio University A. A Yakubu argued that improving livestock development in Nigeria requires multiple approaches, including strengthening veterinary services, sustainable grazing practices, access to finance, policy and infrastructure, research, and the creation of a substantive ministry, which has already been done.
While calling for a collective agenda by the federal and 36 subnational governments, the Professor added that the livestock sector needs modernisation to address the farmers-herders clash in Nigeria.
In her presentation, the Deputy Director of Gender of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs Ifeoma Anyanwu, commended the First Lady, Mrs Remi Tinubu, for establishing the home garden initiative and called on Nigerians to embrace the culture of backyard farming to boost agriculture.
She spoke about the federal government’s ongoing climate-effective agricultural interventions, which she said are revolutionising the way agriculture is approached and leading to improved food security, peace, and sustainability.
Earlier, Dr. Olayinka Yusuf of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Kwara State University, disclosed that over one billion people worldwide and 8 million Nigerians are directly into livestock farming.
‘’Despite its vast ruminant population, Nigeria reaps only 10 per cent of its agricultural GDP from livestock, with just 7.6 per cent of its population involved in pastoral activities. The general agricultural sector in Nigeria has recently seen a slight dip.’’ He said
In her presentation at the event, Dr Sa’adatu Baba, the Director of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Strategy and Research at Kaduna State University, said that the impact of climate change on livestock and agriculture in general needs to be given the desired investment so that the nation can explore the potential in the livestock industry in Nigeria.
Over 60 civil society and cooperatives organisations attended the event to mark the 2024 World Cooperatives Day in Abuja.
