THE PROBLEMS FACING CATTLE RANCHING IN NIGERIA AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
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Background of the study
The strategy of the pastoralist system underwent a very substantial shift when ranching was introduced. It transforms the nomadic aspect of pastoralism, which historically does not place any boundaries on the amount of grazing that may be done on the available pastures, into a system of regulated grazing. Additionally, it alters the nature of the pastoralist land, which was formerly held in common property and consisted entirely of open meadows with no private ownership (Anter, 2021). Ranching has emerged as the preeminent method of ruminant livestock production over much of the world, including regions of South America and Australia (Cole, 2022). This is due to the fact that the benefits of cattle ranching and the significance of the industry cannot be emphasized enough. Although the enclosures are typically rather tiny and the animals are frequently provided with supplements when they are out in the field, several European methods may also be defined as ranching (Ibid). Pastoralism that relied heavily on communal grazing was common in nations like the United States in the 19th century (Ibid), but today's grazing systems are completely enclosed (Ibid) The number of cattle in the Northern region of the country increased by 140% between the years 1990 and 2003, going from 26.6 million to 64 million heads (Daramola 2021). It is likely that ranching will continue to expand in the area given the growing demand for the industry and the benefits it enjoys in the region. Despite this, the expansion of large-scale ranching in the area is reason for concern, particularly due to the rising levels of deforestation in the region. The scientific and contemporary economic intervention into pastoralism has mainly targeted the mobility and community grazing qualities of the system, which results in a more sedentarized and most likely fenced, ranching system (Anter, 2021). As a result of this intervention, it is implied that the pastoralist environment is a resource that is both finite and valuable. In contrast to this implication, the traditional pastoralist perspective considers pastoral land to be essentially vast wilderness that is not subject to any artificially imposed limitations on its use (there are no use limits other than the availability of pastures), and this is the perspective that they wish to hold (Cole, 2022). This definitely goes against the perspective of most interventionists. Even among the most prominent advocates for the promotion and improvement of pastoralist resource exploitation strategy, the baseline appears to be somewhere to be based on sedentarization or predictable location prior to other proposed measures such as nutritional and veterinary assistance for livestock, services such as education (schools), and health; and setting up emergency grazing areas [Ibid] (Daramola 2021). There has been a substantial amount of research done in academic settings to investigate the viability of pastoralism as a way of life for a sizeable section of the world's population. There is a substantial body of opinion that contends that the movement of huge herds of cattle places an undue burden on the environment since it results in the elimination of a significant amount of vegetation (Anter, 2021). When grazing is allowed to continue unchecked, the land eventually becomes barren since all of the flora has been eaten away. The topsoil of an area will often get significantly crushed as a result of animal trampling, while the immediate subsoil beneath will become highly compacted. When it rains, sheet erosion is far more effective in removing the majority of the pulverized soil than wind erosion is, although wind erosion is more likely to cause severe soil loss than sheet erosion (Cole, 2022). The state of compacted soil results in a significant increase in the amount of surface run-off. Therefore, rainfall, which would normally be a stimulant for the regrowth of vegetation because of extensive vegetation removal and soil compaction, instead becomes an enhancer of bareness in the soil after washing away all the soil that would support vegetation regrowth. This is because rainfall washes away all the soil that could support vegetation regrowth (Daramola 2021). It has been claimed that the destruction of vegetation in the Sahel region of Africa by cattle is believed to have raised the soil surface albedo to the point that it has caused a reduction in rainfall and accelerated desertification in the region (Anter, 2021). The fact that the impact may be extended beyond any limitations is the most problematic aspect of having unrestricted movement. The propensity of the pastoralism system to be in opposition to limited use rights of pastureland is the subject of a second line of criticism. In this sense, all pastureland is common property that allows for an unlimited amount of grazing. Because the community grazing of pasturelands eliminates any possibility of feeling ownership over the land, it is impossible for a single pastoralist to contemplate expanding his operations within the region in which he is currently residing at any given point in time (Cole, 2022). In the same vein, the pastoralist is unable to conceive of any concept of intensification due to the fact that common ownership precludes the existence of any land on which such intensification may be carried out. Because of the way the community system is set up, for instance, a pastoralist is unable to consider the prospect of exchanging some of the animals for additional grazing territory (Daramola 2021). This is the conundrum that is presented by the community land tenure system that is used in traditional pastoralism. criticizes in a very categorical manner the communal grazing that is a characteristic of pastoralism, and insists that privatization is the way to correct imbalances that result from the practice of pastoralism. This criticism can be found in his widely cited work, "The Tragedy of the Commons" (Anter, 2021). In his article, he explained how the resources that were considered common property and were shared by pastoralists eventually became depleted due to overuse. He stated that the pastoralist land use plan is prone to instability and is a factor in the destruction of the ecosystem (Cole, 2022). Also, earlier, over a century ago, condemned pastoralism and contended observing that as far as common grazing land is concerned, there is everything against it. He observed that there is nothing in favor of it (Daramola 2021). He claimed that in areas with communal grazing, every peasant in the village would have the tendency to make the most of the opportunity within the same limited area. As a consequence, grazing lands would always be overstocked, would never be given a chance to rest, and would typically become little more than exercise grounds for cattle (Ibid). Even if some more recent literature has elaborated alternative viewpoint and argued for a more interdisciplinary awareness, it is impossible to completely reject the facts that pertain to this topic.
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