Open Grazing No Longer Sustainable, Miyetti Allah Admits

THE Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) has stated that open grazing was no longer sustainable in the country, more so, Benue State, assuring that it would embrace initiatives to end the practice and ensure peace in the state’s rural communities.
Secretary of MACBAN in the state, Ibrahim Galma, declared this position on Tuesday, May 20, at a one-day Sakeholders Engagement/Launch of AgroPastoral Integration for Peace and Sustainable Development (AIPASD) Project by GoGreen Environmental Health Sustainability Initiatives, convened under the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme.
He expressed MACBAN’s support for the project to achieve its aim of having peace in Benue State, noting that the association had been part of the project from its pilot stage, stressing the need for partnership between herders and farmers to achieve the aim of the project.
Galma stated: “The position of MACBAN is that we are fully in support of this project from the beginning and we are going to be in this project to the end.
“Now that the project has been expanded within Guma and Makurdi Local Government Areas, key stakeholders in the areas should be involved, and we should also have a local committee, comprising the Ardos and traditional rulers, to help the pastoralists get knowledge of how to live peacefully with farmers.
“We now know quite well that open grazing is not sustainable, not only in Benue State, but in Nigeria in general. And from all indications, we have come to understand that there is a need for us to adapt to the reality because of the growing population and the challenge of insecurity, as climatic condition are adversely affecting our rural communities.”
State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Peter China, lamented that for eight years, most farmers in the state could not access their farms due to herders-farmers crisis.
Chief Executive Officer of GoGreen Environmental Health Sustainability Initiatives, conveners of meeting, Jackson Ameh, said the event marked a significant milestone in the collective journey towards building a more peaceful, resilient and inclusive Benue State.