FARMERS-HERDERS’ CONFLICT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ECONOMIC LIVELIHOODS OF WOMEN IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
Bauda, Gideon Sambo and Usman Alhaji Yusuf, Ph.D
Volume 12 Issue 1
Abstract
Nigeria in general, and Plateau State in particular continues to grapple with persistent farmers-herders’ conflicts, significantly affecting various segment of society. This paper examined how these conflicts affect women’s economic livelihoods in Plateau State. Specifically, the paper examines the causes of farmers-herders conflict and its impact on women’s economic livelihoods. The study was anchored on environmental scarcity theory. The study used the qualitative research approach, focusing on narrative literature review of scholarly articles, policy documents, and reports. The findings revealed that resource competition, cattle rustling, ethnic/religious differences and long-standing disagreements between farmers and herders are key drivers of farmer-herder conflicts in Plateau State in particularly and Nigeria at large. It was found that women, who rely heavily on agriculture and trade in Plateau State, face economic displacement, loss of livelihoods, and increase vulnerability to poverty due to the destruction of farmlands, loss of livestock, and restricted market access. Despite government interventions and claims of restoration of peace, pockets of conflicts persist and women have continued to bear the consequences on their economic livelihoods. The study concluded that farmers-herders’ conflicts have affected the economic livelihoods of women in Plateau State, recommended among many others that the Plateau State government should establish an integrated land and resource management and peacebuilding framework that combines land-use planning, climate-resilient water development that include provision of shared water infrastructure such as solar-powered boreholes and that government in collaboration with the traditional institutions should establish community-based peace and resource-sharing committees that include farmers and herders to manage land and water use fairly, in order to prevent violence, and protect women economic livelihoods such as farming, trade, income, employment, and access to productive assets. Keywords: Herders, Farmers, Conflict, Herders-Farmers Conflict, Economic Livelihoods
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