FG rallies Israel, World Bank’s collaboration on pasture production in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Government of Israel and the World Bank, has launched a workshop on Technologies for Sustainable Pasture Production and Management in Nigeria.

The workshop is part of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), a six-year, $500 million IDA-funded initiative aimed at improving livestock productivity, commercialisation, and resilience in Nigeria.

The workshop, holding in Abuja on Wednesday, July 16-17, 2025, brings together stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions for the country’s livestock sector, with a focus on enhancing productivity, food security, and conflict mitigation.

Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development, represented by Ishaq Bello, emphasised the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing pressing challenges facing the sector.

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“Sustainable pasture management is not just an agricultural undertaking, but a pathway toward environmental stewardship, social stability, and economic resilience.

“The pursuit of sustainable pasture management is critical to the future of livestock productivity, food security, and peaceful co-existence across our nation”, he said.

Maiha highlighted the importance of global partnerships, including collaborations with esteemed institutions and Government Agencies in Israel, to harness climate-smart technologies and digital innovations.

“This workshop underscores the importance of global partnerships and collaborations to transform rangeland management practices in Nigeria’s arid and semi-arid zones.

“May this workshop inspire bold steps, tangible progress, and enduring partnerships that uplift our pastoral communities and strengthen Nigeria’s livestock sector”, he added.

Sanusi Abubakar, National Project Coordinator, L-PRES Project, noted the importance of innovative, climate-smart, and technology-driven solutions to restore and sustainably manage Nigeria’s pasture ecosystems.

“Pasturelands are the backbone of livestock production, yet they face growing threats from overgrazing, land degradation, and climate change,” he said.

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BusinessDay reports that the workshop will focus on key areas, including innovative technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, and precision irrigation, best practices in rangeland and soil health management, commercial models for sustainable pasture enterprises, policy frameworks to support long-term sustainability, and community engagement strategies for inclusive implementation.

Abubakar added that the workshop aims to deepen understanding of modern pasture technologies, identify actionable solutions for diverse contexts, strengthen collaboration across sectors, and generate policy recommendations for national and sub-national adoption.

“We expect this workshop to inspire bold steps, tangible progress, and enduring partnerships that will transform pasture production in Nigeria”, he noted.

He added that the project would span three key components: institutional and innovation system strengthening, livestock value chain enhancement, and crisis prevention and conflict mitigation.

“By exploring innovative solutions for sustainable pasture production, the workshop aims to contribute to the development of a more resilient and productive livestock sector in Nigeria”, he added.

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