Livestock Reforms Transforming Kwara’s Animal Agriculture, Creating More Economic Opportunities
The Kwara State Government says ongoing reforms and interventions in the livestock sector are beginning to translate into improved animal productivity and expanding economic opportunities for farmers and pastoralists across the state.
The government attributed the emerging gains largely to interventions under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), alongside other programmes targeting critical segments of the livestock value chain.
The Commissioner for Livestock Development, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, disclosed this while reviewing the achievements of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration in the livestock sector.
Thomas said the interventions were generating measurable improvements in animal productivity, while government was simultaneously working to create a more commercially viable livestock industry capable of supporting employment, improving food availability and increasing incomes in rural communities.
Milk Production Records 28.3% Increase
One of the notable areas of improvement, according to the commissioner, is dairy production.
Thomas said average annual milk production per cow increased from 274.5 litres at the beginning of the intervention to 352.2 litres in 2025, representing a 28.3 per cent increase.
She described the improvement as an indication that targeted interventions in animal health, farmer capacity development, infrastructure and livestock management were beginning to produce results.
The increase in milk productivity could also have wider implications for dairy farmers and the broader livestock value chain, particularly in areas involving milk collection, processing, transportation and marketing.
Cattle and Sheep Meat Productivity Improve
The government also reported significant gains in meat production.
According to Thomas, the average carcass weight of cattle increased from 135kg to 190.8kg, while the average carcass weight of sheep rose from 14.2kg to 23.7kg.
The commissioner attributed the improvements to a combination of interventions, including enhanced animal health services, farmer training, infrastructure development, pasture interventions and efforts to make livestock production more commercially attractive.
The figures, she said, reflected the administration’s effort to move livestock production away from predominantly subsistence practices towards a more productive and market-oriented system.
Vaccination Campaign Reaches More Than 238,000 Animals
Animal health has also remained a major component of the state’s livestock reform programme.
Thomas said the government had intensified disease prevention measures, leading to the vaccination of 238,718 animals, comprising cattle, sheep, goats and poultry.
More than 1,100 livestock farmers benefited from the vaccination exercise.
Improved disease prevention is critical to livestock productivity because outbreaks can result in animal deaths, reduced production, financial losses and disruptions to livestock trade.
The government said its continued focus on preventive veterinary services was therefore aimed at protecting livestock assets while improving the productivity and resilience of farmers.
Nearly 9,000 Livestock Operators Profiled
Since the commencement of the L-PRES programme in October 2023, the state government has profiled 8,951 individuals operating across selected livestock value chains, according to the commissioner.
Thomas also disclosed that approximately 100 meetings and stakeholder engagements had been conducted with communities and other actors in the livestock sector.
The profiling exercise and stakeholder engagements are expected to provide government and development partners with better information about livestock producers, their needs and the challenges affecting different segments of the value chain.
Such information can also support better targeting of interventions, particularly in areas such as extension services, access to finance, training, veterinary care and infrastructure.
Veterinary Laboratory Receives Upgrade
The government has also invested in strengthening veterinary diagnostic services.
Thomas said the state had rehabilitated and equipped the veterinary laboratory in Ilorin, while the vaccine cold-chain system was improved through the installation of solar power.
The intervention, she said, had contributed to an increase in the number of animals screened at the laboratory from 157 to 246.
A functional veterinary diagnostic system is important to livestock development because early detection of diseases can help prevent outbreaks and support more effective treatment and disease-control strategies.
The use of solar power for the vaccine cold chain also provides an alternative energy source for maintaining the required storage conditions for veterinary vaccines.
Infrastructure for More Sustainable Livestock Production
Beyond animal health, the Kwara Government has invested in physical infrastructure intended to improve the conditions under which livestock producers operate.
The interventions include solar-powered boreholes, livestock drinking troughs, cattle sheds, feedlots and elevated goat pens.
According to the commissioner, the government has also established 10 integrated ruminant farming clusters.
The clusters combine facilities such as water infrastructure, animal housing, cattle dips, solar lighting and pasture demonstration areas.
Thomas explained that the integrated approach was designed to provide livestock producers with improved operating conditions while encouraging better animal husbandry practices.
Access to reliable water, appropriate animal housing and improved pasture management remains important for livestock productivity, particularly as producers contend with changing climatic conditions and pressure on natural grazing resources.
Training Targets Skills and Commercial Production
The livestock reforms have also placed emphasis on developing farmers’ technical and business capacities.
Thomas disclosed that 1,509 livestock farmers had received training in areas including small-ruminant production, utilisation of crop residues, commercial fodder production and bull fattening.
She stressed that infrastructure alone would not be enough to transform the sector.
Farmers, she said, also require access to relevant knowledge, technical assistance and modern production techniques to maximise the benefits of investments in livestock infrastructure.
The focus on crop residues and commercial fodder production is particularly relevant to livestock farmers because feed availability and cost remain major considerations in animal production.
Improving local feed and fodder systems can potentially help producers manage feeding costs while supporting better animal growth and productivity.
Climate-Smart Agriculture Gains Ground
As climate-related pressures increasingly affect agricultural production, the Kwara Government said it was also working to promote climate-smart livestock practices.
Thomas disclosed that approximately 34 per cent of targeted farmers had adopted climate-smart technologies.
The state has also installed Automatic Weather Stations in collaboration with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Michigan State University.
According to the commissioner, the weather stations are expected to provide more localised weather information to support livestock production planning.
The information could assist farmers and relevant authorities in preparing for drought conditions, managing pasture and water resources and making more informed production decisions.
For livestock producers, access to timely weather information can be particularly useful when planning feed availability, water requirements and movement or management of animals during periods of climatic stress.
Challenges Still Confronting Livestock Sector
Despite the progress recorded, the commissioner acknowledged that significant challenges remain within the state’s livestock industry.
Among the issues identified are farmer-herder conflicts, limited access to veterinary and extension services for women, weak artificial insemination and breeding systems, inadequate pasture production and poor maintenance of infrastructure after completion.
These challenges, she noted, require sustained attention if the gains achieved through current interventions are to be consolidated.
The issue of farmer-herder conflict remains particularly important because livestock production depends heavily on access to land, water and pasture. Conflicts can disrupt farming activities, livestock movement and investment while creating uncertainty for producers.
Similarly, strengthening breeding and artificial insemination systems could be important for improving animal genetics and productivity over the longer term.
Government Seeks Greater Private Sector Participation
Thomas called for stronger participation from the private sector in the state’s livestock economy.
She identified livestock marketing, feed processing and cold-chain facilities among areas where private investors could play a greater role.
According to her, government cannot provide all the investment required to transform the livestock industry and private capital will be essential to unlocking opportunities across the value chain.
Greater private-sector participation could help expand processing capacity, improve market infrastructure and create stronger commercial linkages between producers and consumers.
It could also create additional opportunities for young entrepreneurs and agribusinesses to participate in areas beyond primary livestock production.
More Focus on Women and Youth
The commissioner said the government would continue working to bring more women and young people into the livestock economy.
She said the administration would also sustain efforts to expand pasture and fodder production, strengthen animal health and breeding services and improve the maintenance of livestock infrastructure.
The focus on women and youth is significant because livestock provides income opportunities across multiple stages of the value chain, including production, feed supply, processing, marketing, transportation and retail.
Creating more opportunities for these groups could therefore broaden participation in the livestock economy while contributing to rural employment and household income generation.
From Subsistence to Commercial Livestock Economy
At the heart of the Kwara Government’s livestock reform agenda is the ambition to move the sector towards a more commercially oriented model.
The reported increase in milk production and carcass weights, combined with investments in veterinary services, farmer training, infrastructure, climate-smart practices and stakeholder engagement, represents an attempt to address several of the constraints limiting livestock productivity.
However, sustaining these gains will require continued investment and effective coordination among government agencies, farmers, pastoralists, researchers, development partners, financial institutions and private businesses.
For Kwara’s livestock economy to become more competitive, productivity improvements will need to be matched by reliable markets, efficient value chains, access to finance, quality breeding services, feed availability, veterinary support and functional infrastructure.
The state’s call for increased private-sector participation therefore points to the next phase of the livestock transformation agenda: moving from government-supported interventions towards a broader commercial ecosystem in which farmers and businesses can generate sustainable value.
With livestock remaining an important source of food, employment and rural livelihoods, the ability to consolidate these reforms could have implications not only for Kwara State but also for Nigeria’s wider efforts to improve domestic food production and strengthen the livestock value chain.
Nigerian Farming Magazine will continue to monitor developments in Kwara’s livestock sector and the impact of L-PRES interventions on farmers, pastoralists, agribusinesses and rural communities.
