STAKEHOLDERS in the livestream sector laud the Alternative Bank funded breakthrough solution in the sector.
The Alternative Bank disclosed this in a press statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
Alfalfa, the high-protein forage crop, is now thriving in trials at Plateau State University (PLASU) with funding from The Alternative Bank, It is being hailed as a game-changer that could transform animal feed, boost productivity, and ease the long-standing farmer-herder conflict.
The statement reads that the commendation of the initiative was made at the university’s Green Field Day on Alfalfa Adaptability and Performance Trials which held at the university’s Faculty of Agriculture Research Plot in Bokkos, Plateau, recently.
Researchers, policymak- ers, farmers, agribusiness leaders, and development partners had gathered to see first-hand how the initiative – handed over to PLASU in May 2025 under The Alternative Bank’s Corporate Social Investment programme – was advancing livestock feed solutions in Nigeria.
Preliminary results from the trials have been highly encouraging, showing clear viability under Plateau State’s weather and soil conditions.
Presenting his paper on “Alfalfa Adaptability and Performance under Plateau’s Climate”, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Plateau State University and Lead of the Alfalfa Project Research Team, an Associate Professor, Hosea Finangwai, reported that germination rates exceeded 85 per cent within two weeks. He further noted that the crop adapted well to local soils, reaching heights of up to 66.5cm in 13 weeks – figures consistent with global benchmarks.
With projected biomass yields of over 18-20 tons per hectare annually for three cuttings under rain-fed conditions, Alfalfa is emerging as a viable, high-nutrition forage for Nigeria’s dairy and beef industries. The researchers expect crude protein levels to align with international standards, reinforcing Alfalfa’s potential to strengthen livestock feed and reshape ruminant nutrition.