{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:43:54Z","timestamp":1792669434368,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Koozakar LLC","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["AJSPIM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cattle production remains central to food security, employment, and rural livelihoods in Nigeria. Yet the sector is constrained by persistent inefficiencies, conflicts, inadequate infrastructure, and fragmented policy responses. This paper provides a comprehensive policy analysis of transhumance, agro-pastoralism, and ranching cattle production systems in Southwest Nigeria using primary data from 300 cattle-producing households drawn across Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States. Data on farmers\u2019 awareness of cattle production policies was used for the study. The study analyses the effects of national policies including the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) Settlement Initiative, state anti-grazing laws, and various veterinary and extension policies impacting cattle production. Results reveal extremely low levels of policy awareness among transhumance producers and moderate awareness among agro-pastoralists, while ranchers demonstrate the highest awareness, indicating structural inequities in policy dissemination. The study shows that more than half of cattle producers across all systems were unaware of major livestock policies, with transhumance herders exhibiting the lowest awareness scores. The findings reveal systemic gaps in implementation, weak institutional coordination, cultural misalignment of policies, infrastructural deficits, and absence of inclusive stakeholder frameworks. Emerging policies such as NLTP show potential for structural transformation but face political contestation and poor sensitization. The study concludes that cattle production systems in Southwest Nigeria are shaped by uneven policy impacts, lack of governance coherence, and limited stakeholder participation. A multi-tiered policy reform agenda is proposed, anchored on modernization of production systems, improved extension architecture, strengthened veterinary governance, institutional clarity, peace-building mechanisms, and evidence-driven planning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.69798\/40321513","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:22:11Z","timestamp":1792668131000},"page":"38-53","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Comparative Analysis of Transhumance, Agro-Pastoralism and Ranching Policies in Southwest Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.69798","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-4230-5450","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Olabiyi","family":"Bamisaiye","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Ajiboye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Ilesha, Osun State, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8463-8348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benedicta","family":"Adewoyin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"50185","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"container-title":["African Journal of Science Policy and Innovation Management"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T11:22:12Z","timestamp":1792668132000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/koozakar.com\/journals\/article\/KJ-69303084"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.69798\/40321513","relation":{},"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]}}}