The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has started training 1,000 youths on how to turn rice straw into livestock feed. The programme, funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, targets young people from rice-farming areas to help them earn income and create jobs.
KSADP’s State Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, said at the launch that the training would help reduce harmful practices like burning rice straw. “Instead of setting it on fire, youths can use it for compost or livestock feed, cutting down pollution and opening new income sources,” he said during the session at Audu Bako College of Agriculture, Dambatta.
Muhammad explained that making better use of rice straw could help reduce nomadic herding, which is sometimes linked to security concerns. He added that turning local rice waste into animal feed could also ease tension between farmers and herders.
To support the trainees, KSADP plans to set up 200 production hubs near irrigation schemes. Each group of five young people will get support, including machines and credit, to produce and sell Urea-treated rice straw for livestock.
He noted that many farmers still burn straw or use it for roofing, missing out on its value as animal feed. Muhammad said treating rice straw with urea could help animals gain weight more efficiently.
Professor Muhammad Wailare, Provost of the host college, said the training would equip participants with easy-to-use technologies that encourage sustainable farming and reduce environmental harm while helping them make a living.
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