Groups Move to Resolve Farmer-Herder Crises
Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
In a bid to address the farmer-herder crisis, a UK-funded project Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in partnership with Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING), has unveiled an independent report, compiled from data gathered across 13 northern states, offering solutions to the conflict in the region.
The report was presented at a workshop in Kano yesterday which brought together policymakers, government MDAs, researchers, community leaders, security agencies, traditional and religious institutions, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) among others.
The stakeholders discussed the implications of the studies and co-created practical action plans to uptake the research recommendations to inform peacebuilding, policymaking, and resource management across Nigeria’s conflict-prone communities in the North-West.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, Team Leader of SPRiNG, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, emphasised the importance of grounding peacebuilding and resilience programming in robust evidence “The findings from these studies provide valuable insights into the complex dynamics of resource-based conflict in Nigeria,” he said.
“By translating this evidence into policy and practice, we can design more responsive and sustainable solutions that promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders.”
Representatives from the FCDO and Kano State Government commended SPRiNG’s continued efforts towards strengthening evidence-driven decision-making and locally led interventions that address conflicts, promote collaborative natural resource management, and strengthen resilience.
In his presentation, the lead researcher Mr. Roger Blench traced the introduction of grazing routes in the Northern region back to 1965 adding that, “the introduction of those routes was to protect land for migrant pastoralists and to prevent incursion into cultivated fields aimed at curbing farmers herders crisis.
“ Stock routes were similarly intended to safeguard corridors of land for passage between farms, to connect with grazing reserves, and to establish a wider network linked to cross-border routes” Blench emphasised.
