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The Commissioner for Livestock Development, Prof. Salim Abdulrahman, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Sunday.

The project will cover the state’s three senatorial districts, with each ranch designed to support organised livestock management and provide essential infrastructure for cattle breeders.

Abdulrahman said the investment forms part of the ₦17.2bn allocated to livestock development in Jigawa State’s 2026 fiscal year.

The proposed ranch locations are Sankara Grazing Reserve in Ringim, Kashamai Grazing Reserve in Kafin Hausa and Kukar Mekiya in Kiyawa.

According to the commissioner, each ranch will occupy 510 hectares of land and accommodate 3,000 households.

The facilities will include schools, healthcare centres, veterinary clinics, markets, electricity and water supply, alongside pasture and water points to improve access to animal feed and other essential resources.

The state government is also expanding veterinary healthcare services under its broader livestock development programme.

The plan includes the establishment of veterinary clinics across all 27 local government areas, seven zonal veterinary clinics and a central referral veterinary centre.

Abdulrahman said the development of organised livestock settlements would improve cattle management and help reduce recurring conflicts between farmers and herders.

The ranches are also expected to provide pastoralist households with improved access to veterinary care, water, grazing facilities and other livestock production resources.

The investment comes amid calls from livestock industry stakeholders for cattle breeders to transition from traditional cattle rearing to organised ranching.

Abdullahi Abubakar, National Deputy Treasurer of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Bauchi State, said modern livestock management could help address recurring conflicts between farmers and herders.

He identified competition over land, water and other natural resources as major sources of tension between farming and pastoralist communities.

Abubakar urged cattle breeders to maintain manageable herd sizes and invest in feed processing, animal healthcare and improved livestock management practices.

He also said population growth and climate change had increased pressure on land and water resources, making traditional open grazing increasingly difficult.

According to him, pastoralists should acquire land and establish properly managed ranches where cattle could be raised under controlled conditions.

He added that modern ranching could improve animal welfare, reduce indiscriminate cattle movement and minimise crop destruction and disputes between farmers and herders.

Jigawa’s investment is part of broader efforts by the Federal and state governments to modernise livestock production, improve productivity and address recurring farmers-herders conflicts.

In January 2026, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Government planned to pilot communal ranches in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau states and the Federal Capital Territory.

In December 2025, President Bola Tinubu announced plans to modernise livestock farming through large-scale ranching schemes, improved animal husbandry and the integration of the livestock value chain into the national economy.

Similarly, in September 2024, the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of Livestock Reforms recommended combining ranching with regulated open grazing as a possible approach to addressing the farmers-herders crisis.

In March 2025, the Federal Government announced a partnership with Brazilian firm JBJ Brazil to establish a 100,000-hectare cattle ranch in Niger State, with a proposed capacity for 100,000 bulls.

The Niger State Government also pledged 1.2 million hectares of land to support livestock development.

The growing investments in ranching and livestock infrastructure are aimed at improving cattle production, strengthening the livestock value chain and creating more organised systems for animal husbandry across the country.

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