Pasture Plan for Livestock Developments in Sudano-Sahelian Zone of Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted in three northern states of Borno, Jigawa and Sokoto to determine the status of pasture. The three states are located in the geographical area termed the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Nigeria. Purposive and random sampling procedures were used to select the study area and respondents, respectively. A questionnaire instrument was administered to a sample of 210 farmers randomly selected for the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mainly frequency distribution, means and percentages. The results show that all the farmers pointed to a crisis of pasture degradation and land resource in general. Deforestation of vegetal resources was one of the major problems in the zone. Also, the farmers were aware of the dwindling trend of crops and fodder over the years as catastrophic. The study, therefore, proposed a pasture model for adoption by the farmers to stabilize the zone.