EFFECT OF FARMERS-HERDERS’ CONFLICTS ON RURAL HOUSEHOLDS’ INCOME IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The farmers-herders conflict is persistent in many regions, leading to significant socio-economic consequences. This study aimed at examine the effect of farmers-herders’ conflicts on household income in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study is one million, one hundred and thirty eighty thousand five hundred and thirty two (1,138,532) farmers and herders from the six local government areas of Adamawa state which were purposively sampled for the study based on the intensity of the conflicts. Out of this population, four hundred (400) respondents were sampled which comprises of 300 crop farmers and 100 herders. Multiple regression analysis using E-view was used to determine the effects of farmers-herders’ conflicts on rural Household Income in  Adamawa State, Nigeria. The finding of the study revealed that environmental, political-institutional and economic factors have negative and significant effect on rural household income with coefficient of -0.2444 (0,020), -0.3522 (0.015) and -0.250 (0.074) respectively while social and ethno-religious factors do not have a significant effect on rural household income with coefficient 0.1511 (0.2885) and -0.0326 (0.7670) respectively. It was recommended among other things that policy interventions such as promoting ranching and modernizing livestock management through the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), establishing Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settlements and enacting legislation prohibiting open grazing in some states among other that can address the underlying factors of conflicts and promote peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders are essential to mitigate the negative effects of farmers-herders conflicts on rural household income in Adamawa State and Nigeria at large.