DRAFT OF THE COMMUNIQUE OF THE SECOND LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY FOUNDATION FOR AFRICA (LIFA) CONFERENCE HELD AT THE OTUNBA SUBOMI BALOGUN HALL, CONFERENCE CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN HOTEL ON DECEMBER 4, 2024.

Preamble/Introduction

The 2^nd LIFA Conference December 4, 2024, which primarily was aimed at giving account of stewardship of LIFA knowledge sharing expeditions across Africa, attracted well over 200 participants from diverse professions. The audience included mainly but not limited to farmers, veterinarians, animal scientists, animal health technologists, notable academia, students, among others. The conference was ably chaired by a renowned entrepreneur in the poultry and livestock sectors; Oyo State Branch Life Patron and former National Vice President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN); MD & CEO, Folhope Ltd., Chief Emmanuel Folorunso Ogunnaike, MFR.

The programme took off with welcome address delivered by the LIFA President, Dr Stephen O. Adejoro. He gave a full account of LIFA visits to notable states and agro- ecological zones in Nigeria, including 13 countries in West and East Africa in sub-Sahara Africa. Not less than 9,854 participants had been successfully trained by LIFA in Africa alone since inception in 2019. The focus has been knowledge sharing, capacity building, research, innovations and partnership with international organizations to support poultry farmers. Great emphasis has been placed on women involvements as main stake and fulcrums of family development and sustenance in poultry production. He extolled the contributions of Zoetis, the main sponsor of LIFA since 2019 till date.

A product of egg value chain ‘EGG LOLLYPOP’ was presented as a way of promoting egg marketing through alternative methods of egg consumption by Nigerians. Goodwill messages were subsequently delivered by two eminent teachers, authors and foremost poultry industry practitioners: Prof. J. A. Oluyemi and Dr. Abiola Job. Four notable speakers; Professor E. B. Sonaiya spoke on Climate- Smart Nutritional Strategies for Heat Mitigation in the Tropics; Chief E. F. Ogunnaike mfr paper dwelt on Sustainability and Survival in the Poultry Industry; Dr. Leye Alayande, MD, Hybrid Feed, presentation was on Mitigating the Cost-Centres of Poultry Management Practices while Dr. Mobolaji Omobowale, Head, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering shared knowledge on Climate-Smart Poultry Housing. All presentations were thoughts provoking and engendered robust sessions of questions and answers from the audience on ways of sustaining food security particularly, through poultry production.

Discourses/Features

The following were the salient main discourses:

• The rising environmental temperatures had been projected to continue unabated till 2065, thus the need for adaptation of stocks for survival.
• Suggested nutritional mitigations strategies were; expanding the variety of ingredients in poultry diets, use of feed additives, incorporation of fats and reduced intake of low-quality feed.
• Poultry farmers were advised to start small, below their farm/pen carrying capacity and grow gradually.
• Sustainability of farming could only be enhanced through knowledge acquisition, self-discipline
• Large scale poultry practitioners were encouraged to be involved in maize production to supplement their stock feed requirements of grains.
• Poultry production was described as an “art, spiritual, science”, involving financial and technology manipulations for optimum productivity.
• Changes, competition and opportunities emanates inevitably within the industry should be effectively harnessed by practitioners for sustainability.
• All the cost centers of poultry production were properly explained, which must be reduced
• The need for deliberate efforts to minimize environmental impact and enhance resilience were emphasised.
• Specific strategies for climate smart poultry housing to include climate control within the pen and reduction in demand on environment (solar lighting, water recycling, appropriate climate compliant building and wastes recycling).

Observations

• Nigerian Government was commended for the recent innovative policies to boost agricultural production, especially, in the poultry and livestock sectors, particularly, the recent creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, emphasising its aptness and being long overdue.
• Infrastructural decay, deficit, negligence and corruption were bane of the poultry industry.
• Sharp practices will not sustain poultry production; Integrity and hard work are required for successful poultry business
• The current high cost of maize and soya beans, which now is aggravated by exportation was frowned at, especially, available ingredients are not sufficient for domestic consumption.
• Effort of the Bank of Agriculture in the provision of loans to farmers was commended.
• For enhancing sustainability/survival of Poultry industry, there is the need to: – acquire knowledge; be self-disciplined, be faithful/diligent, to avoid cutting corners; have integrity; be steadfast, hopeful and have sustained passion for poultry.
• Climate smart poultry housing which encompasses specific strategies, water management, energy efficiency, proper wastes management, climate resilient buildings and integrated agriculture were strongly advocated as veritable approaches to wit climatic whims.    

Resolves/Way Forward 

• Multi-stakeholder approach should be utilized to achieve food security. The time is ripe for poultry and livestock farmers to participate in crop farming especially, maize and soya to drastically reduce the cost of poultry and livestock feed.
• The battle against terrorism in Nigeria should be sustained to allow farmers recover arable lands that are currently occupied by the terrorists.
• Loans meant for livestock farmers should not attract more than single digit interest.
• The need for development policies and programs capable of cushioning effects of input cost hike for sustainability was advocated.
• To improve cultivation of staples, especially maize and soya, government was advised to avoid direct subsidy transfer to farmers but provide all inputs and buy back products for direct resale to livestock farmers to avert crop farmers from selling to the highest bidder without consideration for the national food security
• Government should remove tariffs on all imported machineries while focusing on development of home-grown technologies to lower foreign exchange need. Farmers are also enjoined to make use of locally available materials for constructing farm structures.
• Need to adopt different forms of egg recipes in local menu e.g. in amala, in place of egusi in vegetable soups and also in pap was advocated. Indeed, research on alternative means of consuming eggs other than just conventional frying and boiling should be actively sought and promoted.
• Mental health issues amongst poultry farmers needs be addressed.
• Government should regulate and ban exportation of much needed maize and soya.
• Farms should collect and store rain water, treat and reuse water effectively.
• Solar panels use is relatively more economical for energy efficiency Government is encouraged to subsidise energy cost for livestock production
• Government should increase maize production and stimulate egg consumption via School Feeding Programme.
• Need for the consistent and sustained active knowledge sharing for enhanced productivity advocated.
• Adaptation strategies must be developed to counter climatic changes for climate smart poultry production and climate smart farming.
• The Federal Government should ban exportation of grains to reduce feed cost.
• That ingredients of poultry feed should be more diversified to allow for alternate feed formulation while education and community engagement should be galvanized to adopt diversified egg recipes for household consumption.
• Farmers and farming organisations were advised to interact with NARES (National agricultural research and extension system) for knowledge acquisition in modern farming skills to enhance production at minimum cost. Livestock farmers were advised to work towards crop farming, especially grains, for the feeding of stocks to reduce costs and enhance productivity.