Resource Inventory and Management Limited and
Environmental Research Group Oxford Limited

Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank

Nigerian Livestock Resources Survey

David Bourn, William Wint, Roger Blench and Elizabeth Woolley

Summary

Innovative resource surveillance techniques, including low level aerial survey, systematic sample coverage and complementary ground studies have provided the first objective assessment of the distribution and abundance of Nigerian livestock resources, over an area of some one million square kilometres. Highlights from the Nigerian Livestock Resources Survey are presented which demonstrate the national importance of this renewable natural resource, reflect the widespread adoption of animal husbandry and confirm a well established trend towards mixed farming.

Keywords: West Africa - Nigeria; livestock resource assessment; systematic sampling; low level aerial survey; production system studies; agricultural expansion; environmental change; tsetse and trypanosomiasis; mixed farming.

Bourn, D., W.Wint, R. Blench and E. Woolley (1994). Nigerian livestock resources survey World Animal Review: 78 1, 49-58.

1       Background

Reliable information is the foundation of sound management, and should be the basis upon which government policies are formulated and development priorities are established. Unfortunately this is not always the case in practice. The need for an impartial, objective and comprehensive assessment of Nigeria 's livestock resources has long been recognised, but until recently the subject had remained a matter of debate and conjecture, rather than concerted effort and co-ordinated field enquiry.

In the past, official livestock population figures were derived indirectly and extrapolated from various administrative sources, including: jangali cattle tax receipts, vaccination returns, slaughter records, trade movements and exports. The information itself was frequently out of date, inaccurate and/or incomplete, and yielded population estimates of considerable uncertainty, relating to only a few of the many livestock species kept. Such figures should obviously be treated with caution (Colville and Shaw, 1950; and Fricke, 1979), but this proviso is rarely reflected in official publications. More recently, further doubt has been cast on the validity of livestock statistics by the pervasive impact of human population growth and agricultural expansion on the natural environment (Bourn, 1983) and associated re-distribution of livestock within it.

Under the prevailing circumstances of doubt and speculation, the Federal Government commissioned Resource Inventory and Management Limited (RIM) to conduct an independent National Livestock Resources Survey. This study was undertaken in collaboration with the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services and academic institutions, as a component of the World Bank assisted Second Livestock Development Project, and included assessment of both traditional and commercial sectors of livestock production. Nigeria is a large country of considerable diversity with a wide range of agro-climatic conditions and corresponding variety of vegetation (Map 1).

The general purpose of the survey was to obtain more reliable, up-to-date information about Nigerian livestock resources and production systems to establish a sound foundation for livestock development planning and more effective targeting future initiatives. Specific objectives of the study were to:

• assess the seasonal distribution and abundance of traditionally-managed livestock;

• determine the characteristics and distributions of the major species and breeds;

• collect baseline herd productivity parameters;

•  describe the features of locally important livestock production systems;

•   identify the major constraints on production; and

•  assess the size and composition of commercially managed livestock holdings.

2       Methods

A two-tier sampling strategy, combining both low level aerial surveys and complimentary ground studies, was adopted, based on techniques developed over the past decade and extensively employed in many parts of Africa, including: Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Tchad.

In essence, pastoral livestock were assessed from the air, whilst those concealed from view, in villages, were appraised on the ground. The linkage between the two was through the number of rural rooftops, which were recorded by both aerial and ground survey teams. "Hidden animal" to rooftop ratios, derived from ground observations, were applied to aerial rooftop counts to give indirect assessments of "hidden" village livestock. These were added to pastoral livestock numbers, determined from direct aerial observation, to give population totals for each species. This integrated approach optimised the use of available resources, and avoided the problems of double counting of mobile herds and under-representation of livestock in remoter areas, inherent to purely ground based methods of assessment.

2.1    Low Level Aerial Survey

Uniform sample coverage over the whole of Nigeria (just under 1 million square kilometres) was achieved using the now well established low level aerial survey technique of Systematic Reconnaissance Flights (Norton-Griffiths, 1978; ILCA, 1981; and GEMS/UNEP, 1986). For the purposes of the survey, two high-wing light aircraft, with four seats apiece, were equipped with global navigation systems and radar altimeters for accurate navigation, and fitted with external viewing frames to delineate sampling strips on both sides of the aircraft (Figure 1).

Each aircraft operated independently and flew a series of parallel flight paths at a nominal height of 800 feet above ground level (Figure 2). Flight lines were spaced 20 kilometres apart and each line was divided into sectors 20 kilometres in length. This procedure created a Federation-wide sampling grid of 2,280 cells (Figure 3), each measuring 20 by 20 kilometres, which provided a common geographical frame of reference for both aerial and ground survey data collection, and subsequent analysis. Aerial surveys were conducted at the end of the dry season (March and April 1990), and again at the end of the wet season (September and October 1990).

Air crews consisted of a team of four: pilot, navigator (who also acted as front-seat observer) and two rear-seat observers. The front-seat observer recorded flying height above ground and various environmental parameters, including: vegetation cover, land use intensity and bare ground within each grid cell. As navigator, the front seat observer also operated the computerised navigation system, made frequent visual checks of aircraft position, cross referenced map co-ordinates and informed the rear-seat observers of their grid reference position.

Rear-seat observers recorded the size of livestock herds and human settlements within two ground sample strips, each nominally 500 meters wide, on either side of the aircraft, and took photographs of them whenever possible. Overall sample intensity was 5% (two, half kilometre wide strips across each 20 by 20 kilometre grid cell). Subsequently, accurate counts were obtained from these photographs and counting biases determined for each observer, so that their visual records could be corrected, in those cases for which no clear photographs were available.

2.2    Complementary Ground Studies

Four types of ground survey were undertaken: a rural village survey to determine livestock numbers in villages in relation to rooftop numbers, and also to record animal husbandry practices and socio-economic data; a livestock herd survey to establish the productivity parameters of the major animal breeds; urban livestock surveys to estimate animal numbers in the larger towns and major urban centres; and a supplementary survey to assess the holdings of commercial livestock enterprises.

2.2.1      Village Surveys

The aerial survey grid provided a sampling frame for village livestock site selection. In the first instance, sample grid cells were targeted to give the widest possible geographical and ecological coverage, and selected villages were then visited within each. Two sets of data were collected in the village surveys: one concerning the characteristics of the local system of livestock production, and the other relating the livestock holdings per household to the number of rooftops. A total of 2,148 villages were visited by ground teams and information about livestock holdings was collected from 58,162 households.

2.2.2      Productivity Surveys

The primary purpose of the animal production survey was to establish productivity parameters for the principal breeds of Nigerian livestock kept under traditional management. As many breeds have restricted distributions, the surveys were focused on specific regions. An elegant method of herd productivity assessment, based on the known fates of all progeny from a representative sample of mature females, was used to provide measures of productivity that could otherwise be obtained only by long term herd monitoring. Comparative herd productivity information was obtained for various breeds of zebu cattle, including: Adamawa Gudali, Azawak, Bunaji, Rahaji, Sokoto Gudali and Wadara, as well as for muturu, n'dama and kuri cattle. The same technique was also used for the collection of productivity data for traditionally managed sheep, goats, camels, donkeys and pigs.

2.2.3      Urban Surveys

The aim of the urban surveys was to assess the size and composition of livestock populations in representative urban settlements, using a standard method of stratified ground sampling to determine livestock densities in each stratum, from which overall livestock estimates were derived. Twenty-four towns and cities were chosen to reflect different types of conurbation found in Nigeria , and to give a broad geographical coverage of the country.

2.2.4      Commercial Livestock Survey

To the extent that virtually all livestock producers in Nigeria participate in the country's monetary economy, through the purchase and sale of stock and produce, there is obviously a commercial orientation to most forms of animal production. However, a legitimate distinction can be drawn between those producers who rely, essentially, on well-established traditional systems of production and management, and those who employ more innovative, modern and intensive methods. A supplementary survey of commercial livestock holdings took place in early 1992, and 1,923 out of a total of 4,622 enterprises identified by state authorities were visited.

3       Livestock Distribution and Abundance

Results of the Nigerian Livestock Resources Survey were presented to the Federal Government in the form of a four volume, 1,250 page final report: Nigerian Livestock Resources (RIM ,1992), and also as a computer database, accessible to standard software packages. The assessment provides an objective basis for targeting future development initiatives and a firm foundation for monitoring and evaluation.

Nigerian livestock population totals, combining estimates from both the 1990 traditional sector survey and the 1992 survey of commercial livestock enterprises, are given in Table 1. These estimates, based on standardised, systematic methods of sampling, are the most reliable population figures currently available, with standard error margins of less than 5% for major livestock species. In monetary terms, the value of Nigerian livestock resources, based on prevailing market prices in mid-1991, was conservatively estimated to be in the order of US$6 billion.

Table 1: Nigerian Livestock Population Estimates.

* Includes: pigeons, ducks, guinea fowl and turkeys.

Regional differences in livestock distribution are illustrated in a series of maps, generated using MAPICS software, an unsophisticated form of Geographical Information System (GIS).

3.1    Poultry

Poultry outnumber all other forms of livestock in Nigeria , and, not surprisingly, are found throughout the country, wherever there is human settlement. Although pigeons, ducks and Guinea fowl, and some turkeys, are also widely kept, chickens are by far the most common. Typically they are maintained under traditional, low input, free-range systems of management (Map 2), but substantial numbers are also reared intensively on a commercial basis, particularly in southern States. Commercial holdings account for some 10 million, or 11% of the total estimated population of 82.4 million chickens.

There was a boom in intensive chicken production in the early 1980s, when Government subsidised the prices of day-old chicks and feed ingredients. However, as subsidies have been withdrawn, both intensive and intensive commercialised production has tended to decline, especially in urban areas, despite continued demand for chicken meat and eggs. The major constraint on traditional chicken production is Newcastle disease, which particularly affects local breeds; whilst for more intensive commercial producers it is the availability of feeds and drugs that is limiting.

3.2    Small Ruminants

Small ruminants are almost as ubiquitous as poultry, though not so numerous. Nationally, there are estimated to be a total of 56.6 million head, with goats outnumbering sheep by three to two. Although some seasonal movement of pastoral sheep does take place, the great majority of small ruminants are sedentary village livestock and their patterns of distribution mirror that of human settlement (Maps 3 and 4).

3.2.1      Goats

There are three main varieties of goat in Nigeria : the West African Dwarf, the Sokoto Red and the Sahel . Goats are renowned for their hardiness and can survive in most environments: West African Dwarf goats are kept in the forest zones and in the Middle Belt; Sokoto Reds are kept throughout the north; and Sahel goats are restricted to a strip along the frontier with the Republic of Niger . Although pastoral Sahel goats are found in the northern semi-arid zone, the great majority of goats are kept in villages. The most common production system is that of seasonal confinement. Northern goats were found to be markedly more productive than West African Dwarf goats, with lower ages at first kidding and shorter kidding intervals, though they produced fewer kids per kidding.

3.2.2      Sheep

There are four main types of sheep native to Nigeria : the Balami, Uda, Yankasa and West African Dwarf. Balami and Uda are kept in the semi-arid regions, West African Dwarf sheep in the south and Yankasa throughout the country. Sheep are the second most numerous pastoral species, and small flocks accompany many cattle herds in the north and in the Middle Belt.

Comparison of pastoral and village stock shows that pastoral animals are generally more productive. The productivity of West African Dwarf sheep was substantially lower than that of other breeds. All Nigerian sheep are used for wool, but are rarely milked. In the north they are regularly eaten and form part of every-day protein supply, but there is also a marked variation in demand coinciding with religious festivals. As a result there are dramatic seasonal price fluctuations, and in some areas household fattening of sheep for sale is a major economic activity.

3.3    Cattle

Cattle are found throughout Nigeria , but are most common in the northern two thirds of the country. Seasonal transhumance does take place, but is generally of limited extent. Maps 5 and 6 contrast the observed distribution of cattle during wet and dry seasons. Almost half the total cattle population is permanently resident within the sub-humid zone. Humped zebu cattle are by far the most common, but limited numbers of keteku, muturu and kuri cattle occur in south-western, southern and north-eastern parts of the country, respectively.

3.4    Pigs

The traditional Nigerian black hairy pig is gradually being replaced by various exotic breeds including the Large White, Landrace, Hampshire and Duroc. Pigs are generally kept under systems of seasonal confinement in the north and Middle Belt, but are usually confined all year round in the south, except in the Niger Delta region. Pigs must be given supplementary feeds, and in village systems the lees of beer are often combined with household scraps for food. The distribution of traditionally managed, small scale, village based, production is shown in Map 7. The production of pigs is obviously profitable and continues to spread in many parts of non-Muslim Nigeria .

Intensive pig rearing is economically viable on the periphery of large cities because of the availability of industrial by-products, particularly brewers' grain. Units of between 50 and 200 pigs kept in concrete pens are common, especially in the densely populated regions of the south. Commercially managed piggeries with more than 5 breeding sows account for about 3% of the total estimated pig population of 3.5 million.

4       Established Trends for the Future

4.1    Agricultural Expansion and Environmental Change

With the continued growth of human population, competition for limited land resources has steadily increased over the years, and there has been a progressive expansion of settlement and agriculture. This process is taking place throughout Nigeria , but is most marked in the north and south, where population densities are highest.

Expansion into the less densely populated Sub-humid Zone, or Middle Belt, is channelled by an ever widening road network and accelerated by the increasing urban demand for food and fuel. Deforestation continues apace, vegetation and land use patterns are being transformed and hunting has eliminated wildlife from many areas.

The natural environment is, thus, experiencing a period of unprecedented change. Conspicuous signs of land degradation, in terms of the extent of bare ground and erosion, are associated with the highland areas of the Jos and Mambila Plateaux.

4.2    Decline of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis

Tsetse (Glossina spp.) and trypanosomiases have for many years been regarded as the most important constraint on cattle production within the Nigerian Middle Belt. Nowadays, with almost half the national cattle herd resident in that region of the country throughout the year, this obviously can no longer be the case.

Deforestation and the removal of wildlife have greatly reduced the natural habitats and wildlife hosts of tsetse over much of the country (Bourn, 1983). Gradually, this has led, through natural selection and co-adaptation, to the evolution of milder forms of the disease, and the development of tolerance to trypanomomiasis amongst some zebu cattle populations.

4.3    Towards Mixed Farming

In addition to the more overt, physical aspects of agricultural expansion and environmental change referred to previously, the National Livestock Resources Survey has also confirmed a variety of other more subtle, qualitative changes taking place within local systems of agriculture. For example: the marked reduction in pastoral nomadism; the widespread sedenterisation of pastoralists and their adoption of crop cultivation in addition to keeping livestock (van Raay, 1975); the uptake of animal husbandry and fattening of livestock by arable farmers (see Map 8); the utilisation of crop residues by livestock in exchange for dairy products and/or manure; and the spread of animal traction for ploughing and carting (see Map 9).

Collectively, these incremental changes are indicative of a progressive and widespread trend towards mixed farming (FAO, 1983; and McIntyre et al., 1992). The process is now firmly established in Nigeria and the further integration of livestock production within local farming systems is destined to become one of the major strategic goals of livestock development in Sub-Saharan Africa (Winrock International, 1992).

4.4    Urbanisation

Urban populations in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to be increasing at 6-7% per annum, twice the overall growth rate for the region as a whole, and account for almost one third of the total human population of Africa (World Bank, 1989). As this trend continues, increased urban demand for food will create new markets for produce and promote the commercialisation of agriculture in peri-urban environments (Winrock International, 1992).

The findings of the Nigerian Livestock Resources Survey certainly lend support to this scenario, with sizeable livestock populations being found in and around most urban areas, either as backyard stock, or as commercial holdings. Poultry farms and piggeries are by far the most common form of enterprise and are, for obvious logistic reasons, usually located within easy access of urban centres.

5       Potential for Application Elsewhere

Low level aerial and complimentary ground survey techniques used during the Nigerian Livestock Resources Survey have obvious potential for application in other regions of the world, where natural resource status is uncertain, and up to date assessments are required for development planning and more effective targeting of interventions. Systematic sampling from the air and selective ground studies provide a rapid, cost-effective means of obtaining information about a wide range of environmental parameters.

In addition to the assessment of livestock resources the Nigerian survey also mapped vegetation and land use patterns, and the distribution of human settlement. Light aircraft with accurate onboard computer navigation systems also provide an ideal low-cost platform for high resolution vertical photography, necessary for the validation of satellite imagery.

Costs depend on circumstances and specific information requirements, in particular the size of the survey zone, the intensity of sampling and how much ground work is involved. For low intensity coverage of extensive land areas unit costs are in the order of US$1-2 per square kilometre.

Bibliography

Bourn D.M., 1983. Tsetse Control, Agricultural Expansion and Environmental Change in Nigeria . D.Phil. thesis, University of Oxford , England .

Colville G. and T. Shaw, 1950. Report of Nigerian Livestock Mission . Report to the Colonial Office, Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO), London , England .

FAO, 1983. Integrated Crops and Livestock in West Africa . Animal Production and Health Paper 41. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome .

Fricke W., 1979. Cattle Husbandry in Nigeria : a Study of its Ecological Conditions and Social-geographical Differentiations. Heidelberger Geographischen Arbeiten, Heft 52, Geographisches Institut der Universitaet Heidelberg , Germany .

Global Environmental Monitoring System / United Nations Environmental Programme (GEMS/UNEP), 1986. The Handbook of Ecological Monitoring (ed. R. Clarke). Oxford Scientific Publications, Oxford , England .

International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA/CIPEA), 1981. Low Level Aerial Survey Techniques. ILCA/CIPEA Monograph 4.

McIntyre J, D. Bourzat and P. Pingali, 1992. Crop Livestock Interaction in Sub-Saharan Africa . Regional and Sectoral Studies Series. The World Bank, Washington , DC .

Norton-Griffiths M., 1978. Counting Animals: A Series of Handbooks on Techniques in African Wildlife Ecology. Handbook Number 1. African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, Nairobi , Kenya .

RIM, 1992. Nigerian Livestock Resources. Four volume report to the Federal Government of Nigeria by Resource Inventory and Management Limited: I - Executive Summary and Atlas; II - National Synthesis; III - State Reports; IV - Urban Reports and Commercially Managed Livestock Survey Report.

van Raay, J. G. T., 1975. Rural Planning in a Savannah Region: The Case of the Fulani Pastoralist in the North Central State of Nigeria . Rotterdam University Press.

Winrock International, 1992. Assessment of Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa . Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, Arkansas .

World Bank, 1989. Sub-Saharan Africa : From Crisis to Sustainable Growth - A Long-Term Perspective Study. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Washington , DC .

List of Figures:

Figure 1: Aerial Survey Sample Strips.

Figure 2: Aerial Survey Grid Sampling Pattern.

Figure 3: 20 by 20 Kilometre Sampling Grid.

List of Maps:

Map 1: Nigeria : Agro-climatic Zones and Vegetation Types.

Map 2: Distribution of Chickens.

Map 3: Distribution of Goats.

Map 4:Distribution of Sheep.

Map 5: Wet Season Cattle Distribution.

Map 6: Dry Season Cattle Distribution.

Map 7: Distribution of Pigs.

Map 8: Livestock Fattening.

Map 9: Cattle Ploughing.