Kano, Zamfara to cooperate towards mitigation famers-herdsmen conflict
By Ibrahim Hamisu, Kano
To efficiently manage farmers-herdsmen conflict in Kano state, the state government initiated the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, designed as a multifaceted food security, poverty alleviation, job creation and conflict mitigation approach.
The State Project Coordinator, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad made this known while receiving the Zamfara State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Alh. Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji at the project office in Kano.
In this regard, Malam Ibrahim announced that within the next few days, the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, will award contract for survey, demarcation, gazettement and monumentation of stock routes across Kano state.
In a statement issues by project communication specialist Ameen Kabir Yasar on Wednesday said, presently, Kano State has 1,450 km of major stock routes and 500 km of minor stock routes many of which have been blocked by farms or infrastructure, forcing herdsmen to traverse through farms to reach water or grazing areas, leading to violent clashes with farmers.
The Project Coordinator emphasized that “there is need to integrate the traditional stock routes used by herdsmen and grazing areas in the Action Plans and interventions by governments and development partners, as part of moves to ensure lasting peace in the country”.
Other interventions initiated by the KSADP to consolidate the Stock route issue is the development of Dansoshiya grazing reserve, an on-going project, which is a model in Nigeria for settling herdsmen in one location, to enhance peace, socialization and economic growth in addition to addressing rural-urban drift.
“The project is also into commercial and small scale fodder development, crop residue utilization for animal feed, annual free livestock vaccination, construction and equipping of the first state-owned Veterinary Reference Laboratory in Northern Nigeria as well as the construction of 100 milk collection centers across Kano state”, he disclosed.
Malam Ibrahim assured that KSADP will support the government of Zamfara state towards developing agro-pastoral systems especially interventions aimed at addressing incessant farmers-herdsmen conflict.
The Zamfara State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Alh. Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji said he visited the project office to know more about the KSADP, to be able develop a concept note for possible implementation of a similar project by his state government.
The Commissioner praised Kano state government for its political will in implementing a project of such magnitude, highlighting that Zamfara is willing to copy from the Kano success story to turn its economy around.
“We are determined to emulate Kano to address the challenges facing our state so when we start a similar initiative, we will request the cooperation of the Project Management Unit of KSADP in order to succeed.”
