L-PRES interventions reduce farmer-herder clashes by 70% in Kaduna

Interventions by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project have reduced farmer-herder clashes in Kaduna State by 70 percent, according to the project’s Head of Conflict Resolution, Dr. Musa Abba.

Speaking in Kaduna on Monday, Abba attributed the drop in disputes to targeted measures addressing core drivers of conflict—primarily competition over land, pasture, and water. Key actions include mapping stock routes, introducing seasonal calendars to regulate movement, and developing a pilot sedentary livestock program across 19 communities to alleviate pressure on farmlands.

Participating communities received solar-powered boreholes, drinking troughs, milking sheds, tricycles, and cattle dips to enhance livestock hygiene and disease control. To support production, L-PRES distributed 5,000 solar-powered milking machines to 500 cooperatives, provided feed processing chopper machines, and supplied poultry farmers with starter packs. Additionally, over 1,700 animals have undergone artificial insemination out of a 2,500-head target to improve local breeds.

To further prevent recurring conflicts across 22 local government areas, L-PRES plans to clear encroached cattle stock routes, install boundary markers, and establish resting points with dedicated pasture development in grazing reserves across Damo, Kagarko, Kachia, and Birnin Gwari.

Abba emphasized that these interventions, guided by the interdisciplinary “One Health” approach, prioritize continuous stakeholder engagement to foster sustained peaceful coexistence between agricultural and pastoralist communities across Kaduna State.