Abstract
This study investigated the productivity and management of sheep and cattle kept by Fulani pastoralists of Bokkos local government area on the Jos Plateau, North-Central Nigeria. Despite the challenges related to insecurity and restricted access to natural resources, results show large breeding herds with above average productivity and reproductive performance. The management strategy was focused on providing both milk and increased cattle numbers for pastoralists and beef to satisfy the high market demand. High natural herd growth and moderate offtake rates allowed households to maintain herd sizes with a small net increase in cattle numbers. Sheep productivity in these herds was characterised by high births, high mortality and high offtake, leading to overall negative herd growth. The use of hired herders is on the rise in response to natural resource conflict, insecurity and reduced family labour availability due to alternative livelihood strategies. Disease and related mortality remain significant constraints to productivity which could be addressed by increased access to quality veterinary care. However, any further increases in livestock numbers would put additional strain on already inadequate natural resources.
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Notes
Foreign Exchange rate for 2012: 1.0 USD = 165.1 NGN
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the management and staff of the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis Research and the National Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Nigeria for their assistance in facilitating this project. We are grateful to Mr Husein Bagulo for his assistance in preparing the manuscript. Sincere appreciation goes to the pastoralists and community leaders of study villages on the Jos Plateau.
Funding: This study was jointly funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grant number BB/H009213/1 under the ‘Combating Infectious Diseases in Livestock for International Development’ (CIDLID) scheme.
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Majekodunmi, A.O., Dongkum, C., Langs, T. et al. Improved productivity and sustainable pastoral systems in an era of insecurity—Fulani herds of the southern Jos Plateau, North-Central Nigeria. Trop Anim Health Prod 48, 1719–1728 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-016-1149-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-016-1149-8