Gombe State government, through its Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support, L-PRES, Project, has trained 67 livestock farmers on pasture development.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Gombe Tuesday, the Coordinator, Gombe L-PRES Project, Professor Usman Abubakar said the training is to enhance the livestock value chain.
He said the participants were exposed to modern ways of pasture development for businesses, stressing that harnessing fodder value chain remains key to empowering youths, as well as tackle unemployment.
He said with the training, there would be a culture of growing quality pasture for livestock along the fodder value chain as one of the solutions to the clashes between crop and livestock farmers.
“The training will also update farmers on the importance of the business models on livestock development in view of the importance of feeds to livestock productivity and profitability.
“There are two commodities that are crucial in farmer/herder clashes, which are the feeds and water.
“We are making efforts to boost the availability of these two commodities in the state as a way of minimising farmer/herder contacts, which could lead to clashes.
“We are using the L-PRES project to avert farmer/herder clashes by providing training on how to boost fodder development for business.
“With the water we are providing across the state and pasture development, farmer/herder clashes will reduce.
“This is because with water supply and pasture availability, there will be no need for herders to seek these commodities in farmers farmlands,” he said.
Abubakar said through the L-Pres project, earth dams along the corridors of grazing reserves have been rehabilitated across the state.
He said over 63 solar-powered boreholes have also been constructed within the clusters of livestock value chain in the state.
Also, the facilitator of the training, Mahmud Bello said pasture development is a good avenue for youths to venture into, to earn some income.
Bello, who lauded the federal government for establishing the Ministry of Livestock Development, urged youths to leverage opportunities in the sector to improve their lives and livelihoods.
He also commended the Gombe State government and L-PRES for organising the training towards improving the livestock sector. (NAN)
