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.

Paper short abstract:

The paper analyses the environment challenges such as droughts, desertification and land degradation which pushes herders and farmers into competition for limited resources. The paper will explore the interplay between these factors and conflicts resulting to food insecurity in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

This study explores environmental challenges as a causal factor and part driver of herder-farmer conflicts in Northern Nigeria. The study examines climate change and environmental factors as a significant threat to food security at all levels in Nigeria and northern Nigeria in particular. The paper analyses the various environmental factors that necessitated the horizontal and vertical movements of herders in northern region in Nigeria. This work also demonstrates how Nigerian successive governments have made frantic efforts in resolving the clashes through various policies since 1960s. By examining the historical, social, and economic dimensions of these conflicts within the context of environmental change, the paper aims to offer a deeper understanding of the challenges and potential solutions to mitigate the impacts of these conflicts on food security. The paper adopts historical research methods which includes primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through oral interview, observation and pictorial documentation while the secondary sources were derived through literature search, online sources, journals and other publications. In this study, it has been found that environmental challenges is capable of causing socio-political and economic instability as well as security threat in the country, if not adequately and properly addressed. The paper recommends that public enlightenment on environmental management, kinetic and non-kinetic methods should be adopted for effective resolution of conflicts between the two groups. The study concludes that the government of Nigeria must be decisive in action by providing stringent policies that will permanently address the environmental problems for sustainable food security.