A new study by the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme has revealed widespread encroachment, poor maintenance and infrastructural decay in many Nigeria’s grazing reserves and stock routes, labelling the conditions as key factors fuelling farmer-herder conflicts across the country.
The findings were presented during a dissemination workshop held in Kano as part of efforts to deepen understanding and promote evidence-based interventions to resolve one of the country’s most persistent conflict drivers.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, the SPRING Team Leader, said the four-year UK-funded programme was launched in May 2024 to support peacebuilding and climate resilience efforts across Nigeria.
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“A significant component of the programme involves supporting the resolution and prevention of violent conflicts, many of which stem from competition between farmers and pastoralists over land and water in pastoral regions of Northern Nigeria,” he said.
Dr. Ukiwo explained that SPRING conducted an in-depth study in early 2025 across 13 states in North-Central Nigeria to assess the status of grazing reserves and stock routes, examine state policies, and recommend strategies for sustainable management.
“Nigeria has a total of 415 grazing reserves covering 3.8 million hectares. Of these, 141 are gazetted and 274 remain ungazetted. Many are now encroached upon by farmers and developers, while infrastructure such as boreholes, veterinary centres, and roads built under past projects have deteriorated beyond use,” he stated.
He added that although the reserves and routes remain a critical mechanism for reducing conflict, neglect and poor governance have rendered many of them ineffective.
According to the study, while states such as Kano and Gombe have taken proactive steps to rehabilitate reserves and reduce encroachment, others have shown indifference or open resistance to the idea, particularly in the southern regions.
The report urged states to demonstrate renewed commitment by gazetting reserves, improving data accuracy, and prioritising the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure.
Also speaking, Pirmah Rimdans, Conflict Adviser at the British High Commission, said the SPRING Programme aims to strengthen peace and resilience by addressing underlying drivers of violent conflict through research and collaboration.
“We know that one of the major issues fuelling conflict in Nigeria is the farmer-herder crisis. To adequately address it, we must first understand it,” she said.
“Our researchers have examined agricultural and pastoral practices, grazing reserves, and stock routes to understand how they feed into conflict. This dissemination session in Kano allows us to validate these findings with local stakeholders.”
She added that the engagement was critical to ensuring that interventions are “evidence-based and driven by shared understanding” among state and community actors.
Representing the Kano State Government, Umar Musa Gano, Head of the Pastoral and Rural Management Section at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the state has made significant progress in addressing farmer-herder tensions.
“We have minimal farmer-herder crises in Kano due to the government’s commitment to protecting grazing reserves, stock routes, and watering points.
“There is an existing Grazing Reserve Law that prevents encroachment, and the government has reinforced it with new rules and council efforts to sustain these facilities,” he said.
Gano noted that the state recently established a Livestock Development Ministry to drive policy coordination and research-based planning for livestock production.
He advised other states to emulate Kano’s proactive approach by creating dedicated livestock development agencies and investing in research.
On his part, Abdulqadir Sambo, SPRING’s Regional Manager for the Northwest, said the engagement was not to prescribe ready-made solutions but to stimulate conversations based on research findings.
“In the Northwest, traditional stock routes that pastoralists used for decades have been overtaken by farms, leading to competition and conflict.
“Our goal is to bring together government officials, civil society, and pastoral groups to examine these realities and jointly develop practical, peaceful solutions,” he said.
The SPRING report recommended improved data management on grazing reserves, prioritisation of infrastructure rehabilitation, and stronger policy dialogue between state governments and pastoralist communities.
It also urged collaboration with states that have shown willingness to reform, such as Kano, Yobe, Gombe, and Nasarawa, and called for socio-economic surveys before any new physical interventions.
Dr. Ukiwo concluded that revitalising and maintaining grazing reserves and stock routes remain key to mitigating farmer-herder conflicts and promoting peace, stability, and climate resilience across Nigeria.
