Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano on Monday identified climate change, weakness of state institutions and lack of infrastructure as factors fuelling farmers and herders clash in the country.

He said this at the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflict hosted by the Kano State government.

Mr Ganduje noted that for many years in the country, farmers and cattle herders had been in conflict over land rights, resulting in the killing of thousands of people.

“However, over the past few decades, a wide range of factors have resulted in tensions often ending in deadly violent conflicts between the two groups,” Mr Ganduje said.

He said one of such factors was climate change, which resulted in desertification, adding that soil erosion endangered competition over natural resources.

Mr Ganduje said this had pushed herders to venture into new areas to seek pasture for their herds.

“Drifting away from traditional migratory routes and encroaching on farming lands has fuelled negative perceptions, contrasting sedentary communities with nomadic ones, often stigmatising the latter as cultural and/or religious intruders.

“Climate change shrinks the amount of arable land, which is contributing to cycles of violence and putting additional strain on relationships among farmers and herders.

“While herders have had to change their transhumance routes along which they move cattle from one grazing ground to another on a seasonal basis; farmers, on the other hand, say herders are intruding on their land,” Mr Ganduje said.

He added that a second element to consider was the weakness of state institutions and lack of infrastructure, resulting in governments’ inability to effectively control their territories, enforce the law and provide formal avenues for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

He said while the teething problems between herders and farmers that were ignored over the years snowballed into armed bandits ravaging the country, it was still not too late to work out plans and strategies to reduce the conflicts.

He said the Rural Grazing Areas (RUGA) policy or ranching, which had been deliberately politicised, remained the only option that would go a long way in mitigating existential problems.

The governor said this was especially so because pastoralists would have lands to graze without cattle encroaching on people’s farmlands.

“We have gone far in the establishment of Ruga Settlement in Kano; already, 25 housing units out of the projected 500, situated on 4,413 hectares of land at Dansoshiya Forest in Kiru local government, have been completed and handed over to the herders.

“Modernising the livestock sector is not only key to resolving the herder-farmer conflict but was envisaged that this economic investment pillar will support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches for improved livestock production through breed improvement and pasture production,” Mr Ganduje said.

He added that there was a need for aiding information, education and strategic communication on the development of grazing reserves to mitigate the consequences of these conflicts.

He suggested that the government rebuild social capital at the community level to promote mutual trust, build confidence, and consolidate the peace process.

He added that the law and order pillar should be used to strengthen legal frameworks for improving livestock production, peace and harmony.

Earlier, Mr Ganduje said the conference provided a platform to restrain cattle movements, boost livestock production and control the country’s deadly herder-farmer conflicts.

(NAN)