By Abubakar Imam
A Professor at the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ilorin, Sidiqat Adeyemi Aderinoye-Abdulwahab, has urged livestock farmers across the country to adopt smart pastoralism in order to boost productivity and eliminate conflict between them and crop growers.
Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab gave this advice last Thursday (August 14, 2025) while delivering the 289th Inaugural Lecture of the University, entitled “Sustainable, Smart and Safe Pastoralism in Nigeria”, at the University Auditorium.
The don, who is a former Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, described pastoralism as all sorts of activities involved in “the herding of domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and camels, among others, where crop cultivation is difficult or impossible due to environmental constraints such as aridity, steep terrain or poor soil”.
She said that it was high time new methods of pastoralism were adopted as contemporary demands would not favour the retention of the archaic systems.
Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab explained that smart pastoralism includes the adoption of climate-resilient breeds, the use of drought-tolerant pasture species, improving rain water harvesting, water conservation, and efficient irrigation systems.
She urged the Federal Government, through its newly-created Ministry of Livestock Development, to immediately adopt sustainable pastoralism through grassland intensification. She explained that this can be done by cultivating large expanse of pasture fields.
She said that extension agents should serve as experts to guide farmers on crop rotation and management, agroforestry, rotational grazing, and pasture restoration, among others.
The Inaugural Lecturer further suggested that livestock extension agents should provide sensitisation and socio-cultural campaigns to encourage inter-marriages between pastoralists and their hosts, who are mostly farmers, saying that this will enable them to imbibe each other’s social values and help to foster peaceful coexistence.
Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab also urged the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) to adequately scale down weather forecast information through media and viable agro-climate cooperative. She said that the Agency must step up its scope to focus, not only on farmers but also on pastoralists.
The don equally urged policy makers to formulate and implement relevant pastoral policies that will enhance the implementation of existing grazing reserves and ranching.
She also urged pastoralists to urgently abate soil erosion and deforestation as well as increase carbon stocks by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to ultimately reduce the impacts of climate change. She noted that in achieving this, extension agents have a huge role to play.
Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab also urged the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to promote safe pastoralism by educating and enlightening pastoralists as well as creating conflict mediation units that will specifically serve the need of pastoralists through massive deployment of livestock extension workers.
She also urged extension agents to promote a safe environment among pastoralists by encouraging them to embrace dialogue, negotiation, and conflict resolution mechanisms.
The Inaugural Lecturer also encouraged the Federal Government to create social protection programmes in order to strengthen the resilience of pastoralists’ wives. This, she said, should include institution of skill acquisition programmes and empowering pastoralist women through income diversification as this will help them mitigate and adapt to climate change impact.
Drawing from her extensive research, the don encouraged extension agents to incorporate enlightenment campaign against discrimination of the pastoralists among the host communities.
The Inaugural Lecturer also encouraged the Federal and State Governments to enforce existing laws as there is also the need to control open grazing, indiscriminate tree-cutting and license of firewood/charcoal business.
Speaking on her personal experience, Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab appealed to husbands to always lend hands of support to their wives for them to achieve their full potential.
Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab also encouraged her colleagues who are senior academics to always provide quality mentorship to their younger and junior colleagues for the benefit of the nation’s academic system.
The Inaugural Lecture, which was presided-over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, was graced by Principal Officers of the University, relations, friends, mentors, colleagues, military personnel, traditional rulers and students of Prof. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab from far and near.
