Herders-Farmers Conflicts over Farmlands: Implications for Human and Food Security in Nigeria

Abstract

Farmers and herders conflicts have remained an issue of public discourse in recent years, due to the violent dimensions the confrontations have taken. There are cases of human killings, destruction of farms and violent retaliations between herders and farmers in various parts of Nigeria. These have often contributed to human and food security challenges. While the native farmers accuse the nomadic herders of allowing their cows to destroy cultivated crops, the herders point accusing fingers at the farmers for blocking grazing routes. As a result, the groups are found in perpetual violent conflicts, leading to destruction of lives and properties. The attendant implication of this development has always been shortage of farm produce, leading to food insecurity. The study examined how struggles between nomadic herders and crop farmers have threatened human and food security in Nigeria. The study relied on secondary data and employed environmental/resources scarcity theory as a framework of analysis. The study concluded that there is need for the Nigerian government to review the existing laws as they relate to accessibility to land by members of community and strangers.