Paper short abstract:

This paper draws on anthropological fieldwork in nomadic camps and agro-pastoral communities in central & northern Nigeria. It looks at the social organisation of Fulani groups and pastoralism as a mode of production and way of life in Nigeria, including the problem of farmer-herder conflicts.

Paper long abstract:

This paper draws on anthropological fieldwork carried out by the author in pastoralist communities in Nigeria, in nomadic camps and agro-pastoral compounds. The paper has three main parts. The first analyses the current situation of pastoralism as a mode of production and way of life in central and northern Nigeria. It looks at pastoralists' access to land and water and land tenure (or the lack of), pastoral mobility and transhumance, herding practices, the ownership of cattle, and the livestock trade. Nigeria's National Livestock Transformation Plan and the politics of pastoralism and land is outlined. The second part looks at the social organisation and kinship structures of selected Fulbe groups and families - based on fieldwork in northern Nigeria within Jahun clans and Wodaabe, Ude'en and other groups. Drawing on the author's research in other parts of West Africa, the paper makes regional comparisons and considers wider connections and disruptions in the kinship ties of Fulbe groups, mobility of livestock, and the pressures and constraints on pastoral mobility. Some of the disruptions are caused by civil insecurity, in which the Fulbe are victims and participants. The third part of the paper analyses violent conflicts between herders and farmers in the Middle Belt and northern Nigeria, and related forms of insecurity, including 'rural banditry'. This includes perspectives from farming communities. Reflecting on the panel theme, the conclusion asks how effective or otherwise Fulbe pastoralists in Nigeria have been in connecting to wider society and politics to address the many challenges they face.