“He who learns, never loses; he who prepares, never thirsts.”African proverb.
As Nigeria debates ranching and grazing reserves development as solutions to farmer–herder conflicts and livestock transformation, one critical element remains largely absent from the conversation: range management expertise.
A Global Wake-Up Call
As the world marks 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), Nigeria faces a test of leadership and vision. Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this global observance recognizes communities that manage nearly half of the world’s land surface. Pastoralists are increasingly acknowledged as custodians of ecosystems, contributors to food security, and key actors in biodiversity conservation.
With vast rangelands and millions of citizens dependent on them, Nigeria should be at the forefront of sustainable rangeland stewardship in Africa.
The IYRP promotes sustainable rangeland management to combat land degradation, adapt to climate change, and strengthen pastoral livelihoods. It calls for policies that secure land tenure, protect mobility, recognize indigenous knowledge, and invest in education, infrastructure, and animal health services.
Launched in Rome on December 2, 2025, the initiative underscores a simple truth: pastoral systems are central—not marginal—to sustainable development. Nigeria’s response during this global observance will reflect its commitment to safeguarding both landscapes and livelihoods.
Nigeria’s Vast but Vulnerable Rangelands
Nigeria’s rangelands cover more than half of the country, stretching across the northern states. An estimated 650,000 square kilometres are suitable for grazing. These lands stabilize soils, preserve biodiversity, and buffer against desertification.
However, overgrazing, land-use change, climate change, and recurring grazing-related conflicts threaten their productivity. Without deliberate scientific management, degradation will accelerate—undermining livestock production and rural stability.
Ranch infrastructure alone cannot solve these challenges. Sustainable productivity requires professional ecological management.
Range Management Science: The Missing Discipline
Range Management Science is an applied discipline integrating ecology, animal science, soil science, hydrology, and socio-economics to ensure sustainable use of rangelands for livestock production, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem health.
It regulates grazing pressure, enhances pasture productivity, conserves soil and water, restores degraded lands, and strengthens pastoral and ranching systems for long-term resilience. Proper application can transform both extensive and intensive livestock systems into climate-resilient production landscapes.
Yet Nigeria faces a serious shortage of this expertise. The absence of trained professionals limits the ability to plan, develop, and sustainably manage ranches, grazing reserves, stock routes, and mixed crop–livestock systems while protecting fragile ecosystems.
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists presents a timely opportunity to close this skills gap.
Lessons from Practice
My interest in range management began very early in my career, inspired by the role of legumes and grasses in livestock production. I learned early that rangeland management is not only about feeding animals, it is about sustaining ecosystems and securing livelihoods.
A defining experience came during my work with the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA, the precursor to ILRI), in Kaduna State. Through the Sub-Humid Programme, our team pioneered the Fodder Bank concept, establishing year-round protein-rich legume plots that nourish livestock while improving soil fertility.
This approach was later scaled under the World Bank–assisted Second Livestock Development Project (SLDP), where I served as Project Manager. Fodder banks within grazing reserves helped settle pastoralists, improve livestock productivity, and reduce long-distance transhumance and related conflicts.
The key lesson was clear: ranches and grazing reserves do not succeed through infrastructure alone. Their success depends on sound biological and ecological management guided by trained range management and other professionals.
Managing Uncertainty, Building Resilient
A ranch or grazing reserve can collapse quickly due to wildfire, flood, drought, or disease outbreaks. Survival depends on preparation grounded in sound range science.
During the dry season, Harmattan winds and dry vegetation can turn a small spark into devastation wildfire. Fire tracing—creating cleared strips as firebreaks is essential to protect livestock, infrastructure, pastures, fodder banks, and stored feed. Controlled burning, when properly managed, can recycle nutrients and stimulate regeneration.
Flooding presents another major risk. Floodwaters can kill livestock, damage infrastructure, and disperse dangerous reptiles and disease-causing pathogens, including occasionally dormant spores of Bacillus anthracis. As the waters recede, contaminated low-lying pastures may pose risks of snakebites and anthrax outbreaks. Strategic mapping of flood-prone areas, effective early warning systems, and timely relocation of herds can significantly reduce vulnerability.
Drought resilience must begin before rainfall fails. Using seasonal forecasts, investing in water harvesting, and storing runoff improve pasture stability and reduce shock to livestock systems.
Routine vaccination and tick control strengthen herd health. Ecological practices such as deferred grazing, rotational grazing, and overnight kraaling improve soil fertility and pasture regeneration. Legume seeds scarified as they pass through the animal’s alimentary canal and later deposited in manure further enhance pasture expansion.
These interventions are not ad hoc measures, they are tools of professional range management.
Nigeria’s Critical Skill Gap
Unlike veterinary medicine and animal science, which were initially developed through Nigerians trained abroad before local programmes expanded, Range Management Science is not currently offered as a full degree programme in any Nigerian university.
Many Nigerians trained in the United States and Australia in this field have retired. This gap is striking in a country where livestock production still relies heavily on open-range systems, even as policy increasingly emphasizes ranching.
Without locally trained specialists, Nigeria risks underutilizing its rangelands and missing the opportunity to transform livestock production sustainably.
Minding the GAP
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists must be more than a symbolic observance—it should be a wake-up call.
With vast grazing lands and an ambitious livestock transformation agenda, Nigeria cannot afford to overlook the science that sustains its rangelands. Universities—particularly agricultural institutions—must rise to the challenge by establishing dedicated degree programmes in Range Management Science.
Working alongside veterinarians, animal scientists, and other specialists, range management professionals are indispensable for planning and managing grazing reserves, developing sustainable ranches, and strengthening integrated crop–livestock systems. Their expertise is crucial for restoring degraded rangelands, boosting productivity, reducing resource-use conflicts, and protecting fragile ecosystems.
If Nigeria is to build a resilient, climate-smart livestock sector—and emerge as a continental leader in sustainable rangeland management—deliberate action cannot wait. As the Chinese proverb reminds us: “Dig the well before you are thirsty.”
Dedicated to Mal. Bello Sule and in memory of HabibuSuleiman and Bashir Ruma; distinguished graduates of Range Management Science of New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, United States, who taught me all I needed to know about range science.
Dr Maina, Nigeria’s former Chief Veterinary Officer, writes from Abuja
