Effects of Farmer-Herder Conflicts on Rural Households Food Security in Gombe State, Nigeria https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jae.v25i1.2

ed by: EBSCOhost, Electronic Journals Service (EJS), Vol. 25 (1) January, 2021 Google Scholar, Journal Seek, Scientific Commons, ISSN(e): 24086851; ISSN(Print); 1119944X Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), CABI and Scopus http://journal.aesonnigeria.org http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jae http://eoi.citefactor.org/10.11226/v25i1 Email: editorinchief@aesonnigeria.org 11 Effects of Farmer-Herder Conflicts on Rural Households Food Security in Gombe State, Nigeria https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jae.v25i1.2


Introduction
Agricultural production provides the means of livelihood and economic sustenance for the majority of Nigerians population. Farmers and herders make significant contributions in meeting the nutritional needs of the country and thus contributing to food security of households (Onuoha, and Ezirim, 2015). Food security at the individual, household, national, regional and global levels is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for active and healthy life. Food insecurity exists when people do not have adequate physical and economic access to food, (Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), 2015).
Recently, there have been a lot of concerns expressed over the looming danger of food crisis in many nations, including Nigeria. The main goal of food security, is for individuals to obtain adequate food needed at all time, and to be able to utilize the food to meet the body needs. The World Bank identified four pillars underpinning food security, as food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food stability (FAO, 2015). In recent years, Nigeria have witnessed series of violent communal clashes arising from the activities of the herders who move about on a daily basis with their cattle in search of water and green pastures (Suleiman, 2015). Consequently, many farmers and herders have lost their lives, while others have experienced declining production in their crops and herds (Suleiman, 2015).
Conflict has been one of the stumbling blocks and a major threat to world peace today. Conflict is perceived as a serious disagreement or argument about something important that leads to the outbreak of law and order (Collins, 2016). Conflict is a struggle or contest between people with opposing needs, ideas, values and goals (Dietz and Albert, 2016). According to Oyetade (2017), access to water and grazing land has become more competitive and has led to farmers and herders into arguments on a regular basis. This is a worrisome trend because both have coexisted interdependently for centuries, sharing the same fields for farming and grazing with a manageable level of tolerance and accommodation.
Historically, conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria existed, but recently with increase in population, as well as climatic changes, have led to cultivation of more land that is meant for grazing and cattle routes. It is important to note that these conflicts have direct effects on the food security of those involved as well as the country at large. Conflicts disrupts and threatens the peaceful coexistence of different ethnics' groups and sustainability of agricultural production in Nigeria (Moritz, 2016).
This had led to damage of crops, attacks on cattle, destruction of properties, killings of live and cattle rustling in Gombe State. It is reported that climatic change, population growth, environmental degradation, government policies and insurgency activities are some of the major trigger of conflicts and violence between farmers and herders (Suleiman, 2015). However, little or inadequate information have been documented, in respect to effects of farmer-herder conflicts on food security of rural households especially in Gombe State. As a result of the increasing trend of the conflicts in the State, it poses a key challenge and call for an in-depth analysis of its effects on food security among rural households. It has not been sufficiently documented on the specific or inter-play of factors influencing farmer-herder conflicts in the study area. Furthermore, it is not well known about the mitigation strategies employed in the management of farmer-herder conflicts in the study area, neither of the effectiveness or constraints of such management strategies. Given these backgrounds, this study addresses the following research objectives:

Objectives of the Study
The study examined the effects of farmer-herder conflicts on rural households' food security in Gombe State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to: i. determine the socio-economic characteristics, institutional and environmental factors influencing farmer-herder conflicts; ii.
examine the effects of farmer-herder conflicts on food security of rural households and iii.
identify the mitigation strategies associated with the management of the farmer-herder conflicts.

Methodology
The study was carried out in Gombe State, located at the center of the north eastern part of Nigeria between latitude 9 (4,195,662) in 2019. The target population for the study were farmers and herders. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents for the study. The first stage involved the purposive selection of three local government areas, one each from the three agricultural zone. (Billiri in the South, Dukku in the North and Yamaltu Deba in the Central Zones). The selection was based on the frequent occurrence of farmerherder conflicts in the study area. The LGAs selected had recorded frequent clashes between farmers and herders. The second stage involved stratified random sampling of 3 villages, from each of the 3 selected LGAs giving a total of 9 village communities, (Wade, Kuri, Dadin Kowa from Y/Deba LGA, Maltawo, Jamari, Maru from Dukku LGA and Tudu, Ayaba, Laushidadi from Billiri LGA). A total number of 276 farmers were selected, while 267 herders were equally selected, to give a total sample frame of 543 respondents for both the farmers and herders. A sample size of 230 respondents were used, 118 farmers and 112 herders respectively. Primary data were obtained using semi-structured questionnaire, interview schedule and focus group discussion (FGD). Percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to identify the mitigation strategies associated with the management of farmer-herder conflicts, while tobit and logit statistical tools were employed to determine the factors influencing farmer-herder conflicts and to examine the effects of farmer-herder conflicts on food security of rural households..

Results and Discussion Factors Influencing Farmer-Herder Conflicts
The log likelihood value was statistically significant on the basis of the F-test at 1 percent level of probability which implies that all the coefficients in the model were jointly significant. The coefficient of household size was positive sign and statistically significant of probability. It's an evident from the study that large households are more prone to farmer-herder conflicts than those with fewer household.
While the coefficient of education had an inverse relationship with conflict and statistically significant, thus suggesting that the higher the educational level of the household, the more they avert/avoid conflict compare to non-educated people. Educated person may be more open to dialogue during conflicts. The coefficient of farm size also had an inverse relationship with conflict and statistically significant at 1 percent level. This may be due to high pressure on land resulted from increase in population vis-à-vis the traditional land tenure of inheritance. Farming on the cattle routes was positive sign and statistically significant. This implies that as farmers continue farming on the cattle routes this may cause farmer-herder conflicts. The positive relationship indicates that the more the cattle routes are encroached the more the probability to engage in conflict between farmers and the herders. This agrees with the assertion by Yahaya (2018) that land encroachment is among the causes of farmer-herder conflicts. Nyong (2015), also revealed that it is natural for the farmers to encroach on marginal lands that had been the traditional pasture routes for the cattle.

Effects of Farmer-Herder Conflicts on Rural Households Food Availability
Entries in Figure 1 show that 7.0% of the respondents opined that food availability is fairly adequate, 26.0% of the respondents stated that food availability is not adequate, while 23.0% were of the opinion that food security is poor, while 43.0% posited that the situation is very poor. The result in Figure 1 from the foregoing, about 92.0% opined that the farmer-herder conflicts have affected the availability of food supply in the study areas. This corroborates reports by the National Emergency Management Agency [NEMA], (2018), of the grave food insecurity situation in the north eastern zone of the country.

Food Security Status of United State Development Agency
Result in Figure 2 shows that, the farmers were more with food insecurity without hunger than the herders but fewer than their counterparts in terms of food insecurity with moderate hunger and food insecurity with severe hunger. Majority of the respondents were food insecurity with severe hunger. Table 2 shows that killing of stray cattle, increase in population, rap and sexual harassment were statistically significant determinants of farmer-herder conflicts on food security of rural households. Killing of stray cattle had a negative sign and statistically significant at 5 percent level. Implying their inverse relationship to the respondents' involvement in conflict. An increase in killing of stray cattle could lead to an increase in conflict between farmers and herders. The marginal effect of 0.78 shows that, killing of stray cattle increases the probability of conflict by 7.8%. This finding is in line with that of Bello (2015), that killing of stray cattle by farmers is among the causes of farmer-herder conflicts. Increase in population has a direct relationship with conflict and statistically significant at 10 percent level. Implying that an increase in population will lead to farmer-herder conflicts. The marginal effect of 0.68 shows that continue increase in population, increases the probability of conflict by 6.8%. This is in line with the findings from Eje et al., (2016), revealed that crops damaged is due to encroachment of grazing routes by the farmers as a result of increase in population this have led to conflicts between farmers and herders.

Effects of Farmer-Herder Conflicts on Food Security of Rural Households
Raping and sexual harassment has a direct relationship with farmer-herder conflicts and statistically significant at 10 percent level. Implying that continue increase in raping and sexual harassment will lead to an increase in farmer-herder conflicts. The marginal effects of 0.324 shows that an increase in raping and sexual harassment, increases the probability of conflicts by 32.4%. This is line with the findings from Eje et al., (2016), that, the harassment of female was rated by both farmers and herders as having caused conflicts.  (16), 37.04; Prob > chi 2 , 0.0004; Log likelihood, -134.505 *** P < 0.01, ** P < 0.05, * P < 0.10, Std Err = Standard Error, Coef = Coefficient. Table 3 shows the various methods of conflict resolution commonly employed in resolving the farmer-herder conflicts in the study areas, the result shows that 99.1% indicated that arrest and prosecution as the most popular method of managing conflicts followed by alternative dispute resolution with 94.4% and 92.8% of the respondents reports that verbal warning and provision of relief materials respectively as a mitigating strategy that were used in resolving farmer-herder conflicts.

Conclusion and Recommendations
Farmer-herder conflicts have drastically reduced the availability of food supply as well as the income of rural households. Three key factors are responsible for farmer-herder conflicts in the study areas, these are; killing of stray cattle, increase in population, raping and sexual harassment by the parties. This issue has consistently been in the forefront of most of the media outlet of the nation. As such, farmers view cattle routes and grazing reserves as land not possessed by anyone and can therefore be freely encroached. The herders on the other hand, has the belief that feeding his cattle at whatever circumstances is a superior and uncompromising right given to him by nature and these had led to clashes between the competing parties. Village extension agents should be employed to serve as intermediary between the farmers and herders. The need to create a platform that will bring all stakeholders together on a quarterly basis. Government should investigate the report of traditional rulers and local government official who engaged in corrupt practices of selling grazing areas and cattle routes, in order to take necessary action to prevents its reoccurrences. There is the need to revisits the existing 1964 grazing reserves act and 1978 land tenure act so as to accommodate land ownership, usage and control by farmers and herders. There is the needs to adopt some mitigating strategies such as alternative dispute resolutions, provision of relief materials, arrest and prosecution of the offenders, in managing the intensity of the conflicts.