News in brief:
– The $546 million L-PRES initiative aims to boost livestock productivity and resilience in Nigeria, benefiting over 223,097 farmers.
– Key areas include animal health, livestock value chains, natural resource management, and conflict prevention.
The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), recently launched by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has started distributing its $546 million loan fund to boost livestock productivity, commercialisation, and resilience across Nigeria. So far, 223,097 farmers from 17 states have benefitted, with plans to expand the project across 20 states.
L-PRES aims to strengthen Nigeria’s livestock sector, which is critical for the economy but faces challenges such as climate change, disease outbreaks, and conflicts between herders and farmers. With funding of $500 million in loans and $46 million in counterpart contributions, the project addresses these issues by focusing on several key areas:
- Institution and innovation system strengthening ($95 million): Improving policies and technology for better livestock management.
- Animal husbandry and advisory support services ($40 million): Offering training and support to farmers for better animal care.
- Animal health services ($40 million): Providing veterinary services and disease prevention.
- Livestock value chain enhancement ($275 million): Strengthening processing and marketing of livestock products.
- Crisis prevention and conflict mitigation ($100 million): Reducing conflicts between herders and farmers.
- Natural resources management and pasture improvement ($70 million): Protecting grazing lands and natural resources.
National impact
The project will run until 2028, with the goal of addressing issues like low market access, inadequate infrastructure, and the effects of climate change on livestock farming. Beneficiaries have already been identified across states like Kaduna, Niger, and Sokoto. In addition, the project includes:
- Livestock service centers to provide veterinary and other livestock-related services.
- Geospatial mapping to identify resources for effective livestock management.
- National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) to improve livestock tracking.
- Livestock Gene Banks to promote breed improvement and conservation.
Some of the objectives of this project is in line with the targets set by the new Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) as it has highlighted in its inception document.
