GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT
The study sought to examine the southern governors' ban on open grazing and the promotion
of cattle ranching, as well as the economic benefits and prospects for Nigeria. The study
asserts that open grazing became an issue in Nigeria when the Fulani herdsmen started to
invade farms. The invasion of farms by the Fulani herders, which started in 1996, was driven
by a range of factors, from environmental to political, but at the core is the problem of land
scarcity. Climate change and desertification of Nigeria’s north have forced the nomadic
cattle herdsmen farther south to feed and sell their cattle, encroaching on the territory of
sedentary farmers. Moreover, it states that ranching systems consist of labor-extensive
enterprises specializing in one or more livestock species and producing mainly live animals
for slaughter (for meat, skins, and hides), but also for wool and milk. Cattle ranching is not
only managed for monetary benefits, but also for socioeconomic benefits, including hide,
manure, a source of medium-term savings, insurance against crop failure, means of
diversifying investment, as well as performing social and cultural functions (gifts, christening
ceremonies). The study concluded that open grazing is a major issue in Nigeria today, as
Fulani herdsmen take farms by force with weapons like AK47s, which also affect the farmers,
and it has degenerated to the southern state governments executing bans on open grazing of
cattle in order to safeguard the lives of their citizens. One of the recommendations in the
study was that the government should effectively implement the law prohibiting open grazing,
because it will boost farmers’ confidence to go back to the farm.
KEYWORDS: Cattle Ranching, Economic Benefits, Open Grazing, Prospects in
Nigeria