TRANSFORMING RUMINANT FEED SYSTEMS IN NIGERIA: CONSTRAINTS, RESOURCE POTENTIALS, AND STRATEGIC PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION

Ruminant livestock production plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s food security, rural livelihoods, and protein supply. However, feed scarcity and poor feed resource utilization remain major constraints limiting productivity. This review synthesizes current evidence on the status of ruminant feed and feeding systems in Nigeria, highlighting resource potentials, systemic challenges, and strategic interventions for sustainable feed production. The Nigerian ruminant sector relies predominantly on natural pastures, crop residues, and agro-industrial by-products, with limited adoption of improved feed technologies. Seasonal fluctuations, particularly dry-season forage scarcity, high feed costs, land-use changes, climate variability, and weak market integration significantly constrain feed availability and quality. Despite these challenges, Nigeria possesses substantial untapped biomass resources, including crop residues, agro-industrial by-products, and non-conventional feed materials that could support a structured ruminant feed industry. Strategies such as intensive fodder cultivation, silage and haylage production, pelletization of agro-residues, and integration of nutrition with breeding and management programmes are identified as critical pathways for transformation. The review concludes that a systems-based approach involving a combination of technological innovation, policy support, infrastructure development, and farmer education is required to build a resilient and sustainable ruminant feed sector capable of reducing pastoral migration pressures and improving livestock productivity in Nigeria.