Perceived Factors Responsible for Herders-Farmers’ Communal Conflict in Plateau State, Nigeria (Published)
This study was carried out to assess farmers’ perception on the impact of grazing livestock on some tuber crops (yam, cassava and potato) in North Central Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select randomly 1200 tuber crop farmers in the study area (Abuja). Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistic and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the results. The socio-economic analysis showed that most of the farmers were male and married. Most of them had a household size of 6-10 people and were between the ages 41 and 50 years meaning they were within economically active age. Also, most of them had farming experience of 11-20 years and had secondary school education. Majority of them were smallholder farmers and had a maximum of 3 hectares of farmland. Cassava was the most affected tuber crop by grazing livestock in the study area while cattle were the most destructive livestock to tuber crops in the study area. The study revealed that impact of grazing on tuber crop production significantly (p <.05) depended on the tuber type (yam, cassava and potato), livestock type (cattle, goat and sheep), and location of the farmers in terms of state (Plateau). Also, the interaction between tuber type, livestock type and location had significant influence on the level of grazing on tuber crops in the study area. It was recommended that grazing reserves be provided for livestock farmers so that the incessant clashes between crop farmers and herders resulting from destruction of crops by livestock can be reduced.
Citation: Ajayi, A. H. and Sennuga, S. O. (2022). Perceived Factors Affecting Herders-Farmers’ Communal Conflict in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Studies, Vol.9, No.2, pp.32-46,
Keywords: Conflict, ISSN 2058-9093, Livestock, communal, grazing, herder
Socio-Economic Factors Influencing the use of Coping Strategy among Farmers and Herders Affected by Conflict at Giron Masa Village, Kebbi State, Nigeria (Published)
This study was conducted at Giron Masa village, located 30km from Yauri town. The study determines the Socio-economic Factors influencing the use of coping Strategy among Farmers and Herders during post-conflict situation. Simple random sampling technique was used to select one hundred (100) respondents (50 farmers and 50 herders) from the study area. Logistic regression (LR) analysis was used to ascertain the socioeconomic variables that influenced the use of the coping strategy among the farmers and herders affected by conflict. The results of the study shows that age, income, family size and farming experience were significant and thus influenced the use of POCS among farmers. Annual income and production system influenced the use of Problem Oriented Coping Strategy (POCS) among herders. Age, farm size and farming experience were found to be significant in influencing the use of Emotion Oriented Coping Strategy (EOCS) among farmers. Specifically, years of herding experience increased the use of emotion oriented coping strategy among herders. The use of Social Support Coping Strategy (SSCS) among farmers was influenced by educational level; farm size and farming experience, while the variables are not collectively significant in influencing the use of SSCS among the herders. The research recommends the adoption of communal coping that entails the application of cooperative problem solving processes within the family and other social units dealing with stressful life events should be used as coping strategy in the event of farmer-herder conflict
Keywords: Conflict, Coping Strategy, Farmers, Herders