Farmer-Herder Conflicts and Rural Development in Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Famer-Herder conflicts are major contributors to Nigeria’s poor security index. Critical to this position is the fact that these conflicts occur in almost every part of the country. The study assesses the extent to which Farmer-Herder conflicts have affected agricultural activities, impact of Farmer-Herder conflict on Healthcare Delivery and impact of Farmer-Herder conflicts on educational development in Kogi State. The study is premised on the R?lativ? D?privation th?ory, and adopts the qualitative method via survey research design using purposive/ sampling techniques to select 22 study participants across the three LGA of study. Findings from the study reveal among others that; farmer-herder conflicts in the study area affect agricultural productivity, blockag? of cattl? rout?s, watering point and cattle rustling, ?ff?ct of th? conflict is d?clin? in social activiti?s, busin?ss, rural-urban migration d?struction of H?alth Car? C?nt?rs, mark?ts, schools which ar? asp?ct of rural d?v?lopm?nt and industrialization to a gr?at ?xt?nt aff?cts rural d?v?lopm?nt. Health Care Services were severely affected in the rural areas under study and farmer and herder within the locality suffers from these lack of poor health care services, and educational sector also suffers immensely as schools in these rural areas were shut down due to this crises thereby undermining rural educational development which advances literacy level as core indices of rural development. The study among others recommends that; Sinc? farm?r-herder conflict w?r? land use resource bas?d conflict, sensitization, awareness creation and proper education by the federal government through the miyeti allah for adoption of modern approach of rearing cattles via cattl? ranching rather than sedementry method, there should be political will by th? f?d?ral gov?rnm?nt to impl?m?nt  th? ranching mod?l as it will k??p th? h?rds of cattl? away from th? farms of farm?rs and away from major roads, it would not only guarant?? p?ac?ful co-?xist?nc? of farm?rs and h?rdsm?n, it would also ?nhanc? productivity of liv?stock and contribut? to food s?curity in Nig?ria and th? w?st Africa sub-r?gion. Farmers/cattle herders’ associations should make more efforts in preaching the implications of the conflict on the people and the community in general.