Grazing Practices and Pastoralists Access to Natural Resources in the North East Arid Zone of Nigeria
Ibrahim Ahmed Jajere
Department of Geography
Federal University, Gashua, Nigeria
E-mail:iajajere2000@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out in the North East Arid Zone of Nigeria to explore strategies of enhancing pastoralists’ access to natural resources to attain sustainable livelihoods. The primary sources of data used include key informant interview, FGD, Oral histories, Geo coded transect walk and Administration of interview schedule. A total number of 181 agro-pastoral and pastoral household heads (90 agro-pastoralists and 91 pastoralists) were interviewed. Data from the study revealed that pastoralists are involved in near and far migration in search of water and pasture. Oral histories conducted with pastoralists show that while getting access was possible in the past, in recent years access to these vital resources is limited by poor or lack of clear legislation on land and water user rights. Geo coded transect walk reveals that limited access to grazing resources in the study area has rendered hither to productive grazing areas to unproductive land as the ungrazed lands have now become bushy and ungrazable pasture has taken the place of the then high quality pasture. There is no gainsaying that access to resources and grazing practices are cause of farmers-pastoralists conflicts in the North East Arid Zone of Nigeria.
Keywords: Access, Resources, Farmers, Pastoralists
