A vendor feeds a ram ahead of the Eid‑el‑Kabir celebration at Kara Isheri market in Ogun State (AFP file photo / Pius Utomi Ekpei). Agricultural experts say that integrating alternative feed sources into livestock rearing is the only viable solution to curb the rising cost of animal feeds and help Nigeria achieve sustainable food security. They identified cassava peels, seaweed, sugarcane bagasse, banana peels, peas, insects, earthworms and brewer‑dried grain as viable alternatives for animal consumption.
Speaking at the second National Animal Feed Summit, organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, the experts lamented the skyrocketing prices of animal feeds. They noted that livestock feed accounts for 70 % of production costs, which has limited the sector’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product to just 5 %. “Feed security is food security,” they emphasized.
During the panel session titled “Harnessing alternative feed resources for sustainable animal feed supply,” Professor Cordelia Ebenebe of Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s Department of Animal Science highlighted the opportunities presented by alternative feed resources for sustainable and innovative livestock production. She urged stakeholders to harness and process alternatives such as insects to reduce food production costs. Ebenebe recommended that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s push for high‑quality, cheaper feed should include establishing large‑scale insect farms—particularly for black soldier flies—as training centres to build capacity among feed‑industry practitioners. She added that feed manufacturers should scale up production to ensure a steady supply of animal‑protein ingredients, and that unemployed youths could profitably enter this business.
Akeem Ajaeigbe, a member of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, warned that climate change and its associated impacts pose a major threat to livestock systems. He noted that the ability of current livestock operations to support livelihoods and meet growing demand for animal products is jeopardised by climate change. Nonetheless, he stressed that continued research, development, and adoption of alternative feed sources could foster more sustainable and resilient livestock systems in Nigeria.
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