With a growing population and increasing demand for food, stakeholders in the pastoral farming have urged the federal government to collaborate with the private sector to tackle the impact of climate change and prevent economic losses to the sector.
The farmers noted that they face many new challenges due to the changing climate, resulting in continued decline in livestock productivity and poor performance under drying conditions.
The farmers made this known at the just concluded African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)’s workshop on technical planning and implementation of African Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) platform held recently in Abuja.
The workshop had representatives from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Cameroon.
According to them, farmers face challenges such as extreme weather events, droughts, and rising feed costs, which is threatening their livelihoods and meat supply.
They also underscored the importance of enhancing cattle transportation logistics, noting that successful implementation of the APMD Platform will depend on its ability to help farmers reduce travel distance and time, saving on running costs and minimising the stress to drivers and cattle.
Read also: Facing the fury: How Nigerian farmers battle climate change amid economic challenges
Huyam Salih, director, AU-IBAR who was represented by Ahmed Elbeltagy, APMD Platform’s project coordinator and professor emphasised that the platform aims to bolster the livestock sector and safeguard rural incomes derived from meat and livestock products.
She described the APMD Platform as a beacon of hope for millions of pastoralists.
“The launch of the APMD Platform occurs at a pivotal moment, allowing us to address existing challenges. By promoting collaboration and innovation, we can create sustainable growth opportunities. This workshop is a crucial step towards developing strategies that empower pastoral communities and facilitate transformation.”
She noted that the platform to be implemented with the support of relevant agencies and private sector partners aims to promote pastoral farmers’ access to markets, thereby making livestock farming more attractive, a source of jobs and income for Nigerians and other countries within the Sahel region.
While declaring the workshop open, Aliyu Abdullahi, minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and a senator, noted that the importance of an improved and efficient production process in pastoral farming cannot be overstated, where cattle farming accounts for a huge size of the agricultural contribution to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
For this reason, he noted that promoting productive, resilient, and healthy agropastoral systems has become a major concern for the Federal government.
He pointed out that the government was determined to pursue initiatives capable of opening opportunities for small-scale farmers to access technology and significantly improve the nation’s cattle stock.
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