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- Convenors:
-
Abayomi Saibu
(Anchor University Lagos Nigeria)
Oluranti Ojo (University of Abuja, Nigeria)
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- Formats:
- Panel
- Streams:
- Navigating Conflict, Governance, and Activism
- Location:
- Room 2
- Sessions:
- Friday 23 August, -
Time zone: Europe/Helsinki
Short Abstract:
The panel will analyze the environmental challenges, including droughts, desertification, and land degradation, which push herders and farmers into competition for limited resources. They will explore the interplay between these factors and conflicts, leading to food insecurity.
Long Abstract:
Environmental factors have greatly impacted migration flows everywhere in the world. People have historically migrated internally and internationally from places that have become inhabitable due to damaging environmental conditions. Migration is often used as a coping mechanism, an adjustment strategy, or even a survival strategy. As climate change accelerates changes in the environment and the deterioration of livelihoods in many areas of the world, migration flows are expected to increase. The agricultural sector in sub-Saharan Africa is the most important sector of the Sub-Saharan economy; it contributed about 23 per cent of the total annual GDP. Generally, the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is largely dominated by rural household farmers, the major driver of Sub-Saharan’s food security. However, in recent times the incessant violent conflicts between nomadic herders and the rural household farmers exacerbated by drought have led to the migration of herders from the semi-arid region to encroach, on farmlands have posed a big challenge to peace and food security in the Sub-Continent. The conflict as a result of the encroachment of herders pushed by environmental change in arid regions into farmlands has grown into an alarming proportion consequently spreading all over, creating the problem of displacement. The panel aims to explore the intricate relationship between environmental influences, herdsmen-farmer conflicts, and the resulting food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This region faces significant challenges in sustaining agricultural productivity due to climate change, population growth, and competing land use. The clashes between herders and farmers exacerbate these issues, creating a vicious cycle of food insecurity. This panel will bring together experts from diverse backgrounds to discuss the underlying causes, impacts, and potential solutions to address this complex problem.
The panel seeks proposals to address the following themes:
a. Environmental drivers of conflicts: Analyzing the impact of climate change, land degradation, and natural resource scarcity on herdsmen-farmer conflicts.
b. Socio-economic dimensions: Understanding the historical, cultural, and economic factors that contribute to conflicts and hinder resolution efforts.
c. Impacts on food security: Assessing the consequences of conflicts on agricultural productivity, trade, food prices, nutrition, and long-term development goals.
d. Conflict resolution and peacebuilding: Sharing experiences and strategies for conflict mitigation, dialogue facilitation, and promoting peaceful coexistence between herders and farmers.
e. Sustainable agricultural practices: Exploring innovative approaches such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and pastoralism management to enhance food production and reduce conflicts.
f. Policy and governance interventions: Discussing the role of governments, regional organizations, and international actors in creating an enabling environment for conflict resolution and improving food security.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Friday 23 August, 2024, -Paper short abstract:
Conflicts have devastating implications for human lives and livelihoods. This study examines the impact of climate change on land disputes and food insecurity in Nigeria, focusing on the age-long uneasy relationship between farmers and herdsmen.
Paper long abstract:
Food remains the most important of the three basic needs (food, shelter, and clothes) necessary for human existence and development. The process of food production has been hindered by the herdsmen-farmers conflicts due to climate change and land disputes. Conflicts, generally, are indicators of unacceptable resource control and allocation policies as well as poor management mechanisms. Climate change has led to floods, droughts, desertification, soil degradation, and water scarcity, causing conflicts between farmers and herdsmen and resulting in food insecurity. Most importantly, this paper will look at the age-long uneasy relationship between farmers (crop growers) and herdsmen in Nigeria. Due to increasing climatic instability, the study will also create awareness and suggest national policies for mitigation and adaptation so as to aid and enforce resilience in Nigeria. The study will also explore the impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity, competition over grazing land and water resources, and socio-political implications. The impacts include economic losses, reduced agricultural output, food insecurity, and heightened social tensions. Addressing climate change-induced land disputes and food insecurity requires a multi-faceted approach, including enhancing climate resilience through sustainable land and resource management practices, promoting inclusive decision-making processes, and strengthening governance mechanisms. Data from relevant articles, images, and news stories will be used in this project. Effective environmental policies are essential top priorities to address the root causes and consequences of these conflicts, fostering resilience, peace, and sustainable development. More workable suggestions will be outlined in the full paper.
Paper short abstract:
The Maasai pastoralists in the Northern Tanzania conducts pastoralism in a aridity conditions and climate change has strained pastoralism. To sustain the industry, migration to pastoral resources endowed and farmers dominated districts resulting in herder-farmers endless conflicts.
Paper long abstract:
The Maasai pastoralists in the Northern Tanzania conducts pastoralism in aridity conditions. Droughts have plagued the Maasai pastoralism for centuries. The climate modelling and experiments have shown that East African Rift Valleys experience dry conditions as a result of water vapor being directed towards Central Africa. Tectonic development has shaped the area's rainfall distribution that affects water and vapor availability for livestock and human consumption. Climate change is an additional challenge to strained pastoralism among the Maasai in Northern Tanzania as drought due unreliable rainfall has for decades been a common phenomenon.
The aridity conditions has enabled the Maasai to innovate and develop knowledge to cope with drought conditions. the innovated knowledge proved useful in decision making and in designing climate change adaptation strategies in utilising scarce available pastoral resource-dependent livelihoods. Where necessary, the pastoralist have migrated to southern parts of the country where crop farming is dominant.
In these new locations, pastoralists have made meat accessible as its price is reasonable. The pastoralist are also assured of access to food crops. Generally, business is thriving. Despite mentioned advantages, conflicts, violent escalations between farmer and herders are regular phenomenon, some of which have led to deaths and injuries also tens of legal disputes.
Intervention by government are short-lived and land use policies are ignored that results in endless conflicts between the two, herders and farmers.