Conflict Among Farmers and Herdsmen: Assessing Problems in the North Central, Nigeria

This study assessed Conflict Among Farmers and Herdsmen: Assessing Problems in the North Central, Nigeria, with emphasis on the causes of the conflict, the influence of selected demographic variables, factors hindering conflict resolution, and government efforts toward achieving lasting peace. The study design used was a descriptive survey. 215 respondents, primarily farmers and herders selected at random, participated in the survey, which encompassed the six states of North-Central Nigeria with the exception of the Federal Capital Territory. A questionnaire designed by the researcher and validated by specialists was used to collect data; whose Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was 0.88. In addition to the independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that competition over grazing land, destruction of crops by cattle, climate change, population pressure, encroachment on grazing routes, cattle rustling, proliferation of arms, weak security, and competition over water resources were the major causes of the conflict. Age, gender, and level of education had no discernible influence on respondents' opinions. Ineffective implementation of government policies, poor law enforcement, political interference, inadequate stakeholder dialogue, poverty, unemployment, and weak security responses hindered conflict resolution. Although respondents acknowledged government interventions such as ranching initiatives, grazing reserves, peace-building programmes, and community-based conflict resolution mechanisms, they considered their implementation inadequate. The study concludes that sustainable peace requires effective policy implementation, strengthened security, inclusive dialogue, improved land management, and collaborative efforts among government, traditional institutions, farmers, herders, and other stakeholders.