Six herders and farmers in Nasarawa State have begun a two- week practical demonstration training on livestock and commercial farming to boost the state development value-chain.
Mr Ibrahim Ogiri, extension agent with the Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (NADP) confirmed the development in Lafia on Thursday.
Ogiri said the facilitators were 20 agricultural extension agents recently trained by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on alternative feedstock and commercial opportunities from its value chain development in the state.
The FAO initiated activity is supported by United Nations (UN) agencies including UN Peacebuilding and United Nations Development Programme.
Others are UNWomen and UN Human Rights Commission and it is in collaboration with the ministries of Agriculture of Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states where the programme is being implemented.
Ogiri said the step down training kicked off across the state on Monday with each extension agent mandated to train 30 herders/farmers in different locations for the next two weeks.
He explained that the step down training was aimed at enlightening the herders and farmers on steps to take to end the conflict between herders and farmers in the state.
Ogiri said the extension agents would train the trainees especially the herders on how to maximize alternative resources for their livestock thereby reducing conflict with crop farmers.
He said crop farmers would be further trained on how to liaise, understand and build cordial relationship while also supporting the herders by allowing livestock animals graze their crop residues.
“We are changing their mind-sets and telling them that the leftover crops in the farms after harvesting are still important and useful.
“They can be processed, stored and sold out or given to the herders just to create a cordial relationship between them,” Ogiri said
Prof. Olusola Aderinola, Project Facilitator for CSCED and an animal scientist who confirmed the development said all materials had been given to the extension agents to step down the training on how to do multi nutrients blocks by themselves and how to do urea treatment of available straws in their locality.