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An Assessment of the Impact of Grazing Livestock on Cereal and Tuber Crops Production in Abuja, Nigeria

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Abstract

The study assessed the impact of grazing livestock on cereal and tuber crops production in Abuja, Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling technique, the study was conducted in five area councils, namely Kwali, Kuje, Gwagwalada, Abaji and Bwari. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using a three-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and results indicated that there were significant locational differences (p < 0.01) in the impact of grazing livestock on cereal and tuber crops production. For cereal crops, the mean responses showed that Kwali Area Council was the most affected, while Kuje and Abaji Area Councils had the highest impact in terms of tuber crops. The result also indicated that the level of destruction significantly (p < 0.01) depends on the type of livestock that grazed and the crop cultivated. For cereal crops, cattle and goat/sheep were rated as the most destructive animals, while for tuber crops, it was cattle. The least destructive livestock was domestic fowls. Again, among the cereal and tuber crops, maize and cassava were the most affected. The least affected were rice and potato. In terms of cost estimate of crops damaged by grazing livestock, cassava farmers were the most affected and they lost an average of 11,745 (US$73) while potato farmers were the least affected—they lost an average of 3679 (US$23). Based on the findings, the study recommended that efforts should be geared toward developing grazing routes at community level to minimize the encroachment of grazing livestock onto cultivated land, so as to avoid the destruction of crops and the associated negative socioeconomic consequences.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter is the outcome of a four-month engagement as a visiting scholar at the United Nations University–Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), Mineral Resources Unit, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. My unreserved thanks go to the entire Management and Staff of UNU-INRA wherever they may be for providing me this wonderful opportunity.

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  1. Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria

    Julius Ajah

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  1. Julius Ajah
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Correspondence to Julius Ajah .

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  1. Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, United Nations University, Brampton, ON, Canada

    Calvin Atewamba

  2. Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, United Nations University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Dorothé Yong Ngondjeb

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Ajah, J. (2020). An Assessment of the Impact of Grazing Livestock on Cereal and Tuber Crops Production in Abuja, Nigeria. In: Atewamba, C., Yong Ngondjeb, D. (eds) Inclusive Green Growth. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44180-7_8

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