The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), backed by a $500 million World Bank fund, has empowered 30,000 livestock farmers in Kogi State. The initiative aims to directly assist 21,000 individuals and 9,000 women, with a focus on enhancing profitability and commercial viability within the livestock sector.
Olufemi Bolarin, the coordinator of the L-PRES project implementation unit in Kogi State, revealed this during a two-day Orientation Workshop held in Lokoja. The workshop aimed to familiarize members with the project’s concepts, processes, and implementation philosophy.
“The project’s goal is to elevate livestock production by commercializing the sector, thereby increasing profits for livestock farmers nationwide,” Bolarin emphasized.
He highlighted the World Bank’s significant investment in Nigeria’s livestock sector, with states already contributing their resettlement funds to kickstart the project’s operations. Bolarin outlined the inclusive nature of the initiative, targeting livestock farmers across all scales, from small to large operations, including women engaged in livestock rearing.
The project aims to directly impact 50,000 livestock farmers in Kogi State, with 30% allocated to women beneficiaries. Bolarin assured that profiling exercises for farmers would begin soon and span a six-year period.
Addressing farmer-herder conflicts, Bolarin stated plans to invest $40 million in establishing various scale ranches to mitigate resource competition and potential clashes. The project aims to produce adequate grass for livestock, reducing the occurrence of conflicts between farmers and herders significantly, if not entirely.
The L-PRES initiative envisions supporting livestock farmers at micro, small, medium, and large scales, fostering profitability, and potentially alleviating clashes in the region.
