PEASANT-HERDER CONFLICT AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
Livingstone Inegite Godknows
Volume 5 Issue 2
Abstract
The conflict between Peasants and Herders in Nigeria has received media attention in recent years. The concern about this conflict is the monumental loss of lives and property and the impact on food security. Many factors have been attributed to this crisis such as destruction of crops by the herders and encroachment on grazing routes by the farmers, the use of under-aged herders and the breakdown of traditional conflict resolution mechanisms amongst others. The study draws from Thomas Harold-Dixon’s Environmental Conflict Theory which states that depletion and degradation of resources (Environmental Scarcity) is a motivating factor for conflict. It argued that desert encroachment in the North and the migration of herders to the South with the resultant struggle for agricultural resources by both parties is the primary trigger of the conflict. The study also identified the absence of strong political will by the government to effectively and decisively end the conflict as another causal factor for this crisis. The paper further observed that lack of access to farmland as a result of the conflict has threatened food security such as availability, accessibility, utilization and stability in Nigeria. To stem this crisis, the study recommends the assertion of coercive authority by the government over conflict zone and a strong government political will devoid of ethnic or religious consideration to end the conflict. It also recommends a concerted effort by the Nigeria government and other West African countries bordering the Lake Chard to implement a massive reforestation in the Northern region for grazing purpose. Finally, the paper emphasized the need for herders to embrace modern livestock management techniques. Keywords: Peasants Herders Conflict Food Security
Download Paper