ACReSAL Transforms Dalijan Fields: A Model of Peace and Progress Through Sustainable Rangeland Management
At the heart of Kebbi State’s climate-vulnerable landscape, a powerful story of resilience, innovation, and hope is unfolding in the quiet outskirts of Dalijan. Once plagued by frequent farmer-herder conflicts, erratic grazing patterns and ecological degradation, the community is now at the center of a landmark transformation; the establishment of a 100-hectare rangeland under the ACReSAL project.
Dalijan sits 19 km from Gwandu town and approximately 45.5 km from Birnin Kebbi, neighbouring a 16,000-hectare grazing reserve. While this reserve was established to support livestock grazing, years of overuse, invasive species and lack of proper pasture had left it barren. The consequence? Prolonged seasonal migration of herders, competition for land, crop destruction, and in tragic instances loss of life.
The intervention of ACReSAL Kebbi SPMU, Dalijan is fast becoming a beacon of peaceful coexistence and climate-smart innovation.
The rangeland project, launched in April 2024 is nearing completion, it is more than just an agricultural effort, it is a peacebuilding tool, a community development strategy and a climate adaptation model rolled into one. It integrates local participation, environmental engineering and social innovation to reimagine how farmers and herders can thrive together.
Powered by three solar boreholes and 3 animal drinking points, the rangeland is planted with nutrient-rich, climate-adapted grasses such as Kyasuwa, Gamba, and Stylosanthes selected for their contribution to livestock nutrition and soil health. The rangeland includes water access points for animals and the surrounding community, ensuring both ecological restoration and human dignity.
What makes this initiative ground-breaking is its impact across sectors:
For Education: With fewer families forced into seasonal migration, children like Hauwa’s son can return to school. The empty classrooms in Mashekarin Fulani may soon be filled again.
For Livelihoods: Over 2,108 direct beneficiaries and 7,500 people stand to benefit directly or indirectly. Local residents were hired during implementation, women supported with food vending and vocational training is underway. For many like Hadiza Aliyu, whose husband migrates for pasture, this is a turning point.
For Nutrition & Gender Empowerment: Milk extraction techniques, fura processing support and food diversification trainings will equip women to provide better meals, reduce workload and increase income.
For Peace: With access to reliable, local pasture, the conflict triggers of crop encroachment and resource disputes will drastically reduce. The Magaji of Danjema noted this will improve harmony and fewer fears of external disruptions.
For Climate Resilience: The rangeland mitigates desertification, addresses seasonal feed scarcity thereby supporting Kebbi’s biodiversity, aligning with long-term climate action goals.
Additionally, the Faculty of Agriculture at KSUSTA is positioning the rangeland as a research hub, complementing its new greenhouse initiative. Together, these projects will make Kebbi a leader in climate-smart, integrated crop-livestock systems.
The Dalijan rangeland is more than an expanse of land, it is a living solution to the human and environmental pressures caused by climate change. It is proof that with the right investments, stakeholder collaboration and vision, communities can shift from conflict to collaboration, from migration to stability and from survival to sustainable development.
With 22 grazing reserves across Kebbi, the success of Dalijan offers a replicable blueprint. A model that does not just restore land, but restores lives.
Dalijan Fields is no longer a place of departure, but a destination of hope.
