The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on Tuesday distributed napier grass (elephant grass) planting materials to herders and farmers in Taraba.
Mr Fred Kafeero, FAO’s Country Representative in Nigeria, said at the occasion in Jalingo that the gesture was part of efforts to end farmers/herders conflict in the state.
Represented by Mrs Fesimi Ogunkowa, an official of FAO, Kafeero said the materials included fertilisers, napier grass cuttings and knapsack sprayers.
Kafeero added that they were aimed at improved land, alternative feedstock and water management to reduce competition over natural resources.
He said that the organisations had carried out a demarcation survey of 41,468 hectres of land and beaconing of 5,000 hectres of land in Mayo-Kam in Bali Local Government Area of the state.
Kafeero also said that the organisation piloted modern ranches on three hectres of land in the Mayo-Kam grazing reserve through mechanised land preparation and provision of water harvesting structures.
The country representative said the gesture would reduce encroachment into grazing reserve earmarked by the state for the development of the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
He said the FAO had conducted a socio-economic profiling and provision of pasture inputs (hybrid napier planting materials and fertilisers ) for more than 2000 herders and farmers in the state.
He also said that FAO conducted an assessment of alternative fodder/feedstock opportunities in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states for more than 2,000 farmers and herders.
According to him, the FAO farmer field school approach was used to promote the value addition.
Mr David Kassa, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said that all grazing reserves were converted into ranch sites in the state.
Kassa said that the state had designed a model pilot ranch to be established in each of the three Senatorial Zones.
He said that they would serve as demonstration and teaching centres where farmers and herders, youths and women would learn the skills for ranching and modern livestock production.
The commissioner appealed to the beneficiaries of the programme to make meaningful use of the inputs given to them and commended FAO for the gesture.
Mr Bala Ajuji, one of the benefiting farmers, commended the FOA for the programme, adding that the gesture would go a long way in addressing farmers/ herders clashes in the state.
Malam Ardo Musa, a herder, noted that the much anticipated ranching had begun with the gesture by the FAO.
(NAN)
