The Fulani in Nigeria and their Herding System: Is it an Agro-Business or a Culture?

Abstract

The Fulani ethnic group is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken over a large area of westAfrican countries (Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cameroon and Senegal). The Fulani have long history of herding and in Nigeria; the practice is enmeshed in their culture. This study seeks to investigate the Fulani culture and their herding system; is it an agrobusiness or a culture? The study being a nonexperimental research adopted survey research design. Data were elicited from array of documentary facts drawn from both published and unpublished materials. The study revealed that herding is supposed to be subsumed as an agro-business but it has been enmeshed in the culture of the Fulani’s herders in Nigeria. The study also found that the policies of Nigeria government on herding seem to treats the Fulani herding system as more of a culture and most of the policies of the state on herding are not properly planned and do not augur well with other users of land resources. The study recommends among others the need to introduce modern herding practices among the Fulani herders and they should be educated to embrace modern realities of the 21 centuries (urbanization, population outburst, intense increase on land resources, climate change, etc.) modern practices of herding (Ranching, Cow colony, Fattening, etc.).