According to the farmers, the Fulani herders who stubbornly drive their animals to graze on their crops and agroforestry species undermines their efforts to use natural fertilizer on their farms for higher yields.
The Fulani cattle owners are also accused of influencing administrative decisions concerning the matter. Not even several court sessions seem to help solve the farmer-grazer dilemma.
“Recently, there was a hearing in the Menchum Court of First Instance on a similar issue, and again the decisions that will be arrived at are left at the mercy of God,” Kum Nicolas, an agroforestry field technician, told The Green Vision.
Kum said when cattle destroy their crops, it affects food security in their households.
“In addition, the cattle feed on straw which we gather to be tilled into the soil in preparation for the planting season. And more so, the dung they leave behind is not commensurate to the quantity of straw consumed,” Kum, said.
He said if the government could make better legislation on the farmer-grazer problem, it would help address some of the food security needs of our peasant resource-poor farmers as well as solve the farmer-grazer problems in the North West and other parts of the country.
By Blaise Njumbam
