Ruptured and Coveted Spaces: Youth Livelihood Trajectories in Post Conflict Context of Nigerian Communities

Abstract

This paper examined how youth in post conflict context navigate livelihood spaces and why some spaces rupture whereas others are coveted. The focus of the study was on why youth in post conflict communities in Nigeria who depended on agriculture for their livelihood lost interest in farming despite various intervention programmes. Drawing on six focused group discussions and a survey of the pattern of agricultural engagement of 420 youth, the paper argues that in post conflict context, a new order is created and youth’s choice of livelihood strategy is not usually based on moralistic assumptions but on craving for an improved position in the new order. Findings from the study attributed youth disinterest in agriculture to change in the societal incentive structure which shapes and validates livelihood options. By highlighting how youth in post conflict settings construe livelihood spaces and employ different agencies for gaining respectability in a new post conflict order, the paper provides insights into optimal attributes of post conflict interventions and incentives.