The Kwara State Government has trained 100 livestock farmers on forage conservation and preservation as part of efforts to promote sustainable feed production and unlock the potential of the livestock sector.
The five-day intensive training was organised by the Kwara State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) and conducted by Hilltop Intercontinental and Business Services Limited at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Idofian, Kwara State.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said there was no longer an excuse for youth unemployment in the state, considering the government’s efforts to develop the livestock sector.
The governor urged the participants to make effective use of the knowledge acquired during the training to improve their livelihoods and become job creators.
He said L-PRES and other strategic interventions, including the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), had contributed to building a livestock sector focused on productivity, resilience and commercialisation.
According to him, 8,951 people have been profiled across selected livestock value chains, while about 100 stakeholder engagements involving communities and value-chain actors have been conducted since L-PRES activities began in the state in October 2023.
The governor stressed that his administration was focused on achieving measurable results and impact.
“Our records show that 238,718 animals have been vaccinated against key livestock diseases, cattle, sheep, goats and poultry with more than 1,100 livestock farmers directly benefiting from vaccination activities,” he said.
“As a government, our aim is to protect the animals that represent the livelihoods, savings and businesses of thousands of Kwara families.
”He added that the government had rehabilitated and equipped the veterinary laboratory in Ilorin and strengthened the vaccine cold-chain system with solar power.
“Following these interventions, the number of animals screened by the laboratory increased from 157 to 246,” he added.
The Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee has also backed the ongoing training, saying improved forage production and conservation could help reduce competition over feed resources and consequently, contribute to addressing farmer-herder conflicts.
Speaking at the event, a member of the committee, Professor Demo Kalla, said the training was designed to equip livestock farmers with practical skills to produce, conserve and preserve feed for their animals.
Kalla, who is also the Director of the TETFUND Centre of Excellence on Food Security, Dairy Research and Development Centre at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, described the programme as timely, given the importance of adequate feed to livestock production.
He said L-PRES provided opportunities for youths, women and other actors within the livestock value chain to acquire skills that could improve their livelihoods while contributing to Nigeria’s food and feed security.
“For this particular cohort, people have been drawn across the state to share their experiences and learn skills hands-on, particularly for forage conservation,” he said.
Kalla noted that inadequate feed could intensify competition for available resources and fuel conflicts between farmers and herders.
“We cannot have enough feed for our animals; definitely, there will be a crisis,” he said.
He described the training as a potential game changer, noting that it could create new opportunities for participants, improve livelihoods and contribute to increased production of animal-source foods.
He added that the success of the L-PRES initiative in Kwara could serve as a model for other states.
Kalla also welcomed the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, describing it as a significant step towards giving greater attention to Nigeria’s livestock economy.
He said members of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee had advocated for the creation of a dedicated ministry, adding that its establishment meant livestock development was now receiving focused attention at the federal level.
“For the very first time since independence, Nigeria is paying attention to the livestock economy.
I think our number one goal is achieved,” he said.
Kalla further described livestock as a major economic sector with the potential to create jobs and attract investment, particularly among youths and women.
The State Project Coordinator for L-PRES, Mr Olusoji Oyawoye, said the government was strengthening the capacity of livestock farmers to achieve the project’s development objective of improving productivity and commercialisation within the sector.
He added that the initiative was also aimed at ensuring that more people in the state acquired the skills needed to become job creators.
Also speaking, the Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development in the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Hakeem Ibilade, said the ministry had made progress since its creation but stressed that meaningful results in agriculture could not be achieved overnight.
Ibilade explained that livestock development involved biological and administrative processes that required time before their full impact could be realised.
“Anything agriculture, be it livestock, crop or fisheries, has a waiting period,” he said.Using livestock reproduction to illustrate his point, he said, “If you have maybe a goat, if it gets pregnant today, it will not deliver today.
You have to wait at least five months. It is the same thing with processes.”He assured Nigerians that the ministry was moving forward and would sustain efforts to develop the livestock sector.
The training, which brought together livestock farmers and stakeholders from across Kwara State, is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the livestock value chain, improve farmers’ productivity and promote sustainable feed production.
