FAO Empowers Northeast Farmers with Fodder Training to Boost Livestock Production
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has trained the trainers on fodder to strengthen livestock production in the Northeast region.
According to the UN agency, the training workshop was to enhance 40 participants’ capacity in an alternative fodder production technique.
Declaring the one-week training workshop open in Maiduguri, the Director General of the Borno State Livestock Management Agency (BLMA), Bukar Ali Usman, stated that the government of Norway funded a training program to equip farmers with the skills to produce their own feeds and pastures.
He said that the acquired production skills will foster self-sufficiency and resilience in the livestock sector of the economy.
Usman noted that pasture development is a key focus on training and essential for livestock production.
“The training will significantly impact animal health and productivity to sustain the farming systems in the Northeast.
He said that perennial herders/farmers clash also play a crucial role in reducing competition for land and resources, noting that this will mitigate farmer-herder conflicts in affected states in the region.
The DG believed that the training of farmers will also overcome the lingering challenges of livestock feed shortages in the affected states.
The workshop, comprising 22 participants, is trained on acquiring skills and knowledge on livestock feed production.
Already, the first group of trainers has started actively training farmers and herders across the three states.
Since 2021, 40 participants, including 12 women, had been trained by FAO.
They will subsequently transfer the knowledge and expertise to 825 farmers and herders, who will also receive pasture seeds from the UN agency.
According to Usman, the improved pasture seeds are of grass and legumes, as well as inputs for the production of silage and hydroponics.
Lead trainer Aishatu Girgiri, of the Department of Animal Science (Ruminant Nutrition/Pasture & Range Science), University of Maiduguri, emphasised the importance of transitioning from traditional methods of animal feed production.
“Given Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, the conventional approach is no longer sustainable, “she warned.
The training will be concluded with a 3-day fieldwork session at the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCBRI) and the University of Maiduguri.
She said the participants learnt the art and science of making multi-nutrient block and mineral block, value addition to crop residues, including hay and silage making in sustainable livestock practices.
