Pastoralism in Nigeria

In popular imagination, ‘nomads’ wander from place to place without any logic -Ammianus Marcellinus described the Huns thus:  No-one ever ploughs a field in their country, or touches a plough handle. They are ignorant of time, law or settled existence and they keep roaming from places in their wagons. If you ask one of their […]

In popular imagination, ‘nomads’ wander from place to place without any logic -Ammianus Marcellinus described the Huns thus:  No-one ever ploughs a field in their country, or touches a plough handle. They are ignorant of time, law or settled existence and they keep roaming from places in their wagons. If you ask one of their children where he comes from, he was conceived in one place, born far away and brought up still further off.
Ammianus Marcellinus -The Histories (Source R. Blench)

Above is a close description of what many Nigerians think of pastoralists. This is far from the truth. What is however true is that pastoralists are in difficult times today. They are subject of innuendos and aspersions, accused of robbery, cattle rustling, rape, kidnapping and even scorched earth policy. To compliment these accusations our national dailies often carry a picture of a non-Nigerian (perhaps South Sudanese) herdsman with an AK47. This has lately created a media frenzy resulting in calls and agitations for legislation to ban cattle movements (aka pastoralism). This idea which can lead to our cattle industry self-destruct is regrettably gaining grounds. Perhaps a better understanding of this least understood production system may help in having an informed national conversation.
Pastoralism can be categorized into nomadic, transhumant or agro-pastoralist based on the degree of movement. Transhumance pastoralism, the category under discussion is defined as the regular movement of herds between fixed points to exploit seasonal availability of pastures. This mode of production in Nigeria involves sending part or all of the herd to access crop residue in adjacent farms or graze in open range and in some cases even move further southwards as the dry season becomes more severe and returning home (North) with the advent of the rains.
Pastoralism is the main production system in Sub-Saharan Africa (SHA) where pastoralists live in arid and semi-arid zones. The system has proved over time to be a very successful strategy in coping with uncertainties due to climate change, epizootics, buildup of parasites and other related challenges. Ranching, an intensive enclosed pastoral production system that obtains in the Americas, Australia and African countries like Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe has unfortunately not proved successful in SHA. The failures of World Bank loans on ranching to many SHA countries including Nigeria can attest to that. This amongst other explains why ECOWAS Heads of State endorsed transhumance pastoralism in 1998 (ECOWAS Decision A/DEC.5/10/98).
How has pastoralism faired in Nigeria?
Nigeria has an estimated 19.7 million Cattle. Nigeria is the biggest consumer of meat in the ECOWAS, with Lagos as the largest livestock market. Over 30% of meat consumed in this country comes from our neighbouring countries. Nigerians have come to take meat availability in their local markets for granted without having to bother on the production challenges and sacrifice of the primary producers. Although beef is on import prohibition and the challenges in the North Eastern zone of Nigeria which has the largest livestock population, neither shortage nor dramatic increase in price of beef has occurred. Thanks to transhumance pastoralism with its low production costs, today a kilo of meat costs between N1000 to N1200 in the country. Another significant contribution of pastoralists is to the rural economy in terms of supporting their households and in supplying meat and milk to rural dwellers at even cheaper prices. Add to all these, employment opportunities it creates in the downstream sectors of transportation, abattoirs, suya spots, farm power etc.
How are our pastoralists able to meet our meat demand with this level of efficiency without Government subsidy unlike the crop farmers?
In crop farming, human beings only directly utilize only about a quarter of the total biomass. The other three quarters is in the form of crop residue and low quality crop, which is directly useless to humans. However, cattle (ruminants) convert these into high quality meat and milk. In addition to this, our cattle also utilize grasses on fallow lands, non-arable poor quality lands, open ranges and fadama in the same manner. Cattle however have to move to these locations to access these opportunities. To further facilitate this movement, Governments over the years developed grazing reserves and demarcated interconnecting stock routes that have been in existence for very longtime.
For access to crop residue on farm, pastoralists usually negotiate with farmers. If, however any conflict arose from this arrangement including from encroachment of farms into stock routes, these are usually amicable resolved, with the pastoralist sometimes even paying fines. The frequency and level of current “self-help” to justice by killing cattle, attacking herders or herders attacking farmers is unusual. It has almost destroyed the harmonious socio-economic equilibrium of the mixed farming system.
Interestingly even in UK today some form of transhumance pastoralism exists. Transhumance Sheep in UK are transported in trucks between rough grazing on highland areas and lowlands for grazing. Another example is in wealthier countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia where State provide vehicles at subsidized rates to pastoralists to assist with animal transportation between grazing lands (source R. Blench). In USA there are still winter and summer ranges.
Don’t get me wrong, am not trying to romanticize pastoralism. Not at all. I am only explaining some of the salient, often unknown or appreciated economic realities of pastoral livestock production system, and why it remains resilient.  It is therefore too simplistic to think that Nigeria can do away with it by banning cattle movement. A more practical approach would be to critically assess pastoralism, critical issues associated with it and proffer feasible solutions.
The major challenges confronting pastoralism today is increase in population, urbanization and some element of xenophobia. Population increase has resulted in more land being put to arable farming. Urbanization on the other hand has resulted in the increased infrastructural and industrial developments, which also take a lot of land. Xenophobia maybe arising from land-use conflicts, politics and long held prejudices.
Another paradox is this. Historically pastoralists even in precolonial Africa are known to be generally law abiding. They paid cattle tax (Jangali) and any other legitimate State tax, for right of passage and also to secure State protection. Understandingly, a person with a big mobile capital (cattle) sometimes accompanied by family, will pay any amount for protection against bandits. He is also unlikely to invite unnecessary trouble. However, globally pastoralists are reputed not to be easy targets, not just because they are mobile. They have what Sociologists call “culture of honour”. When threatened or attacked, they will fight to protect their honour, family and assets. And when they fight, they fight hard because they can lose everything and also need to make the point that they no weaklings or easy preys.
In Nigeria over time pastoralists have settled as agro-pastoralists living peacefully with their neighbours in many if not all States of the Federation. In fact, some of the cattle they herd belong to their indigenous neighbours.  This is the future and Government should encourage this trend by:
One, providing incentives for settling as agro-pastoralist and establishment of cattle farms. (e.g. Bank of Agriculture to create special loan schemes); Two, urgently addressing some issues of climate changes depleting range land (Great Green Wall project, rehabilitation of rangeland etc); Three, tackling cattle rustling, (majority of cattle theft is practised by urbanised individuals linked to the market system), rural banditry and prosecuting persons responsible for current killings; Four, introducing cattle identifications for registration, traceability and movements monitoring; Five, funding research on breeds improvement, feeding regimes etc and introducing degree courses in range science (non available in country) to address the dearth of trained personnel in range management; Six, introducing of Silvopastoralism (cattle production in tree plantations similar to agroforestry) in the Southern States; and finally, mounting advocacy on the positive contributions of pastoralists and censuring hate speeches.
Remember the Fulani infuriating ridicules three-quarter trousers (ka fi shanu wuya) and hair plaiting, well today that is the vogue. Maybe if they can get fashion right, who knows maybe their cattle rearing style, may not be way off the mark after all.
Dr. Maina is a former Director, Federal Department of Livestock.