Benue State Farmers-Herders Conflicts Wicked Problem – 2 : Sustainable Livelihoods and Food System Outcomes, North-Central, Nigeria (Published)
The crux of sustainable livelihoods and food system outcomes in Benue state, Nigeria and Sahel of Africa region for decades was driven by farmers-herders’ conflicts resulting into poverty, security trajectories and underdevelopment. In 2022 qualitative and exploratory research was deployed in the 744 questionnaires survey at Guma and Gwer-West local government areas, Benue state, Nigeria. Data analyzed using the mean, frequency, percentage and Likert 5 scale. Likert 5 scale consensus inference are: as strongly agreed scores are: fear of losing livelihoods (457); competition for grazing (414); theft and destruction of farm land (374); internally displaced persons (415); Stability of the system (368); food security (413); peace and security (523); rapid development (376) and innovation (387) affirmed the farmers-herders’ conflicts (Type III wicked problem) and the essence.
In Nigeria 2026, 3.7 million internally displaced persons including the study area are the consequence of the farmers-herders’ conflicts and the Boko Haram insurgency. Electronic warfare can be deployed to managed the security trajectories in Benue state and Africa Sahel region with 8000km transhumance epicentre of farmers-herders’ conflicts. The framework solutions are: policy and economic drivers, saline soil biodegradation and restoration, climate mitigation and carbon sequestration using biowaste recycled into biofertilizer from anaerobic digester technology https://www.academia.edu/video/jyonKl . The impacts are soil health, food systems resilience, one health and pasture development that ensues partnership, collaboration, adaptation, climate mitigation and soil restoration for Benue state and Africa Sahel region 100 million hectares degraded land for food sovereignty. Integrated natural resource management can transform sustainable livelihoods by the development of agriculture corridor development to facilitate meeting sustainable development goals targets by the United Nations 2030.
Keywords: Agriculture security, DFID, Farmers-herder’s conflict, Food systems resilience, Framework, Regenerative agriculture, Sustainable livelihoods, UNDP, Wicked problem.