By :Ahmad Saleem
L&Z Integrated Farms Nigeria Limited, in collaboration with the German development agency GIZ, has trained 15 pastoralists on fodder production to address the depletion of natural pasture and strengthen dairy farmers’ resilience to climate change.
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The training, organised under the Green Harvest Initiative (GHI), is designed to equip pastoralists with the knowledge and practical skills needed to cultivate animal feed, improve livestock productivity and ensure a sustainable supply of raw milk.
The Head of Partnerships at L&Z Integrated Farms, Ahmad Nuhu, disclosed this at the commencement of a training-of-trainers programme for selected pastoralists.
He said the initiative followed the success of the project’s first phase, which trained 400 farmers in climate-smart agriculture, prompting the expansion of the programme to reach more beneficiaries.
According to Nuhu, the 15 participants are expected to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired to other farmers in their respective communities, particularly in fodder cultivation.
He explained that the training would include practical demonstrations at farms in Belmari and Kadawa, where participants would learn how to cultivate different fodder varieties, including Super Napier grass.
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Nuhu added that some farmers had already received seedlings to establish their own fodder farms, while community seed multiplication centres had been established in Bebe, Yukura and Dogua local government areas to improve access to planting materials.
“The idea is that after training them, they will go back to their respective communities and step down the training to their fellow farmers,” he said.
He noted that increased fodder production would improve livestock productivity and ultimately boost the volume of raw milk available for collection by L&Z Integrated Farms.
Nuhu identified improved knowledge, practical skills and access to seedlings as key benefits of the programme, stressing that pastoralists needed to prepare for the gradual depletion of natural pasture.
“Right now, they are getting free pasture all over the place, but they also know that year after year the pasture is depleting. So they need to start looking at the future of their enterprise,” he said.
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He called on pastoralists, government agencies and other stakeholders to invest in capacity building and fodder cultivation to prevent future feed shortages.
Nuhu warned that failure to take proactive measures could leave livestock farmers struggling to secure adequate feed in the coming years, emphasising that sustainable fodder production was essential to protecting dairy farming and maintaining a steady supply of raw milk.
