CCC, YADI push ranching reform as solution to farmer–herder crisis

Barbara Bako, Abuja.

The Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) and the Youths Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) have called for the urgent implementation of structured ranching reforms, warning that Nigeria’s continued reliance on open grazing is fuelling farmer–herder clashes and undermining national stability.

In its January 2026 Independent Media Assessment of Critical Stakeholders, the CCC identified the persistent farmer–herder conflict across the North Central and parts of the North West as a major driver of communal violence.

The Centre noted that many of the crises were triggered by disputes over farmland encroachment, destruction of crops, and retaliatory attacks linked to open grazing practices, adding that the continued reliance on open grazing remains a significant source of tension between farming and herding communities.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, YADI described ranching reform as an urgent national imperative and a strategic pathway to economic diversification, agricultural modernization, food security, and enhanced national security.

Citing data referenced by the CCC, YADI said a Nigerian Security Tracker study revealed that “between 2018 and 2023, an estimated 3,000 people lost their lives in farmer-herder clashes across the North-Central states, while over 300,000 people were displaced from their communities.”

It added that the 2024 Nigeria Watch Report documented that violence involving farmers and herders claimed “about 567 lives across 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory within a single year.”

“These figures are not mere statistics. They represent lives lost, livelihoods destroyed, and communities fractured,” the group said,

It stressed that structured ranching is a sustainable alternative to open grazing one capable of reducing friction over land and water resources while promoting peaceful coexistence and economic modernization.

YADI commended the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to implement ranching reform, noting that Kwara State has been selected as the pilot state.

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However, it said resistance in some quarters was largely driven by misinformation.

“Our engagements across communities reveal a crucial reality: the majority of stakeholders pastoralists, farmers, and community leaders are not fundamentally opposed to ranching reform,” the group stated.

“The resistance observed appears largely driven by misinformation. This reflects not outright rejection, but a gap in consultation, engagement, and public sensitization,” it added.

YADI argued that reforming Nigeria’s livestock sector is not optional; it is essential for economic revitalization, noting that the sector currently contributes over $32 billion to GDP and could grow significantly under a properly structured framework.

Beyond economic gains, the group described ranching as a critical national security intervention, stressing that structured ranching introduces order, accountability, and spatial clarity into livestock management and helps prevent encroachment on farmlands and violent confrontations.

In conclusion, YADI maintained that ranching reform represents a strategic lever for economic empowerment, food security, environmental sustainability, and national peace, urging federal and state governments, pastoral and farmer’s associations, and development partners to support what it called a transformative national agenda.