Taraba State NGO reveals plans on training 600 farmers and herders on alternative feedstock for cattle

By Bisola Adeyemo

The Centre for Social Change and Economic Development Nigeria (CSCED) in Taraba state has revealed its plans on training about 600 farmers and herders on alternative feedstock and commercial opportunities from its value chain development and to mitigate the farmers/herders crisis.

The training is being conducted in collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the ministries of Agriculture of Taraba, Benue and Nassarawa states where the programme is being implemented.

Alhaji Mustapha Baba, the team leader, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo on Saturday.

Baba said that 20 agricultural extension workers which were already trained in 2020 had finished a refresher course for the outreach extension training for 600 farmers and herders on alternative livestock fodder/feedstock and other opportunities.

“We commenced the outreach training of the farmers and herders in the most vulnerable areas of farmers/herders crisis in the state.

“The extension workers are grouped into three based on the three senatorial zones of the state to handle the outreach training which is expected to be completed in four weeks where each of them we are training at least 30 farmers and herders,” he said.

The training was supported by United Nations Peacebuilding, United Nations Development t Programme (UNDP), United Nations Human Rights Commission and UN Women, with the purpose of
curbing the farmers/herders crisis in the country.

The team leader said the formulation of alternative feeds using ammonia, urea and aromatherapy would help to reduce the conflict over natural resources and enhance nutrition for the animals and fertility of the land for the farmers.