That is (not) who we are

class and open grazing in Nigeria

Abstract

The main thrust/thesis of this study is that open grazing is simply a CLASS Act. In pursuit of this thesis; the study seeks to; i. Indicate the essence of grazing ii. Examine the factors that predispose communities to open grazing as grazers and as host communities. iii Examine the possibility of alternatives to open grazing. Now, humans are social beings. Removal from society simply translates into the end of humanity. Be that as it may, we live in a world of traits and tendencies, nature, nurture, processes and styles. There are individual as well as group differences and nuances. In all this maze, we make sense out of it all in the recognition that circumstances alter cases and that behaviour is largely environmentally-determined. Every society is the sum total of its sub-units. The maintenance of dynamic equilibrium, booms or bursts depend on the manner of social relations/interactions that subsist therein. It is in that regard that we need to bring in the tendencies and dispositions of the open-grazers visa-a-vis the host communities, whether already overrun or still standing. Accordingly, the following questions are thrown up: 1. What is the essence of grazing? 2. What factors predispose the open grazers to that manner of economic activity? 3. What factors predispose the host communities to accept or acquiesce to open grazing? 4. Is there no alternative to open grazing? To guide the study, the political economy perspective was adopted: The focus here was on class and the allied issue of class character and contradictions; the issue of the primacy of material conditions as well as the significance of history. All in all, the study recommends and concludes that it is left for each unit (individually and collectively) to determine her class – whether of domination or the dominated. Furthermore, the current and the sustainable ways to take good care of animals and remove this particular source of insecurity and turbulence include Ranching, The European Paddock Approach or Mix of the Indian Model tied with Ranching.