A technique to tackle farmers-herders crisis was discussed at a workshop of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in Adamawa, one of the states struggling to check the menace.
At the workshop held at Federal College of Education, Yola, Managing Director of Expedient Global Vision LTD, Engr Saleh Jibril Yakmut, proposed the use of animal repellent on crops in order to bring a halt to the crisis.
Yakmut, who was one of the facilitators at the programme with the theme “Efficient waste management practice A-Z of recycling”, said the North East had gone through the challenge for too long.
He explained that the ruminant repellant is the first of its kind in West Africa, disclosing that a farmer can spray it on his crops to prevent cows and other ruminant animals to feed on them.
He added that even if they eat the crops, it burns the tummy of the animal causing the affected animal to look for water to neutralise its effect.
“The animal ruminant repellant is a research that has come because of the subsequent crisis between farmers and herders. They used to live side by side peacefully but things have changed and because of that, we have got so many issues.”
“As a research innovation and invention company, we went into research and we were able to develop the first in West Africa. The ruminant animal repellant is a spray like a herbicide or pesticide. You put it in your knapsack spray it on the crops, it has a double action it will serve as a foliar fertilizer to the plant be it rice or beans, it will also repel the animals, i.e the cow will not be able to feed on the plant because it would smell the bad odour on all the other plant that it does feed on.
“We have about eleven plants in the North East that no animals feed on and that is where we have focused our research. These are some of the approaches we have used to repel those animals so that even if the herder mistakenly goes into the farms, the cattle will not be able to feed on it. No ruminant animal will be able to feed on the crops. And if they do, they won’t be able to eat anything. It will not kill them but they will be looking for water to neutralize it because it is very hot on the tummy.”
He urged beneficiaries of the training not to relent in their efforts to practise what they learnt on the conversion of waste to Charcoal, organic fertilizer, odour control brisket and repellant spray.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Amina Musa, applauded NEDC for the opportunity and promised to use the available resources at her disposal in putting what was taught into practice.
