The Effect of Herders and Farmers Conflict and Land Grabbing on the Attainment of Christian Religious Objective in Bokkos LGA
Chapter One
Objectivesย of theย Study
- describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents in the study areas;
- examine the factors responsible for the conflict between crop farmers and cattle herders in the State;
- examine the effect of the conflict on the attainment of Christian religious objective in Bokko LG.A.
- identify and describe the types of conflict resolution mechanisms employed by these
CHAPTER TWOย
LITERATUREย REVIEW
ย Ethnographicย Backgroundย toย Pastoralismย inย Nigeria
Antonio and Silvia (2009) described Pastoralists as people who live mostly in dry,ย remote areas. Their livelihoods depend on their intimate knowledge of the surroundingย ecosystem and on the well-being of their livestock. According to them, pastoral systemsย takeย manyย formsย andย areย adaptedย toย particularย natural,ย politicalย andย economicย environment, and the key feature qualifying pastoralism is Mobility. The term nomadicย is used when mobility is high and in irregular patterns; transhumant when there areย regular back-and-forth movements between relatively fixed locations; and sedentary forย theย rest.
Pastoralistsย areย peopleย whoย deriveย moreย thanย 50ย perย centย ofย theirย incomesย fromย livestock and livestock products. Although the livelihoods of these communities areย vulnerable to climate change, shifting global markets, population growth and increasedย competition for land and other natural resources, pastoralism remains a viable naturalย resourceย managementย system,ย andย understatingย itsย rationale,ย importanceย andย dynamicsย is a keyย elementย in efforts to reduceย povertyย (Antonio and Silvia, 2009).
According to Blench (2010) the Fulbe (another name for the Fulani) and the arableย farmers among whom they move, have an interdependent relationship based on theย exchangeย ofย dairyย productsย forย grain,ย andย aย marketย forย theย animalsย thatย mustย beย periodically sold to provide cash for domestic purposes, such as clothย or marriageย payments.ย Moreover,ย inย manyย regions,ย Fulbeย managementย strategiesย dependย onย accessย toย cerealย cropย residuesย -somethingย arableย farmersย permitย becauseย ofย theย perceivedย advantagesย of manure asย fertilizer.
However, Blench (2010) stressed that, in no case the goods or services the pastoralist hasย to offer essential to the farming community, and therefore the pastoralist is obliged toย remain on good terms with farmers if he wishes to continue to exploit the same locale inย successive years. If Fulbe herders are unable to build up exchange relations with theย farmingย communities,ย theyย canย onlyย surviveย byย becomingย sedentary,ย byย flexibleย movement patterns that involve exploiting new arable communities every year, or byย intimidation of the farmers. All of these strategies can be observed in operation inย Nigeria,ย sometimes practiced simultaneouslyย byย differentย Fulbe subgroups.
The Fulani or Fulbe indisputably represent a significant component of the Nigerianย economy.ย Theyย constituteย theย majorย breedersย ofย cattle,ย theย mainย sourceย ofย meat,ย theย most available and cheap source of animal proteins consumed by Nigerians (Eniola,ย 2007). The major source of animal protein is the cattle which are inย the hands ofย Pastoralย Fulaniโsย (Ajala, 2000).
The fact that the Savannah zones of Nigeria have abundance of grasses and forages andย also the absence of the deadly cattle disease called Trypanosomiasis make the zoneย conduciveย for rearingย cattle (Ibrahimย et al., 2014).
Cattleย Herdingย System
Having raised livestock for centuries, the Fulani have evolved a herding system thatย withstandsย time,ย weather,ย socialย change,ย andย governmentย intervention.ย Theย movementย of the Fulani over the years has led to a pastoral calendar in which the location and theย grazingย habits of theย Fulani can beย predicted (Iro,ย 1994).
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The study Area
The study was carried out in Bokko Local Government Area. Bokkos is a Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Bokkos at 9ยฐ18โฒ00โณN 9ยฐ00โฒ00โณE.
It has an area of 1,682 km2 and a population of 178,454 at the 2006 census. Ron languages are the indigenous languages spoken in Bokkos.
Bokkos Local Government major tribes are Ron, Kulere and Mushere. Bokkos Local Government has eight districts which are Bokkos, Muahere, Daffo, Sha, Manguna, Richard, Toff, and Kamwai. There are 20 electoral wards in Bokkos. The Paramount ruler of Bokkos is called saf Ron, he is the chairman of the Bokkos traditional council.
Research Design
Research Design is a procedure of solving research problems. There are different kinds of designs such as experimental and case study (Mose and Kalton, 1971). From the list of designs, a researcher uses appropriate design to solve his/her problems. According to Nwankwo (1983), findings from survey studies have the potentials of being used as foundation for other research works. Olomolaiye (1986), sums up the importance of the survey design thus: โguiding model to be followed by the researcher and the method to be used to gather and analyse dataโ. The survey design was used in the study because it helped the researcher to obtain information from a sample of respondents for the purpose of testing the hypothesis concerning the stated problem of this study.
ย Samplingย Procedureย andย Sampleย Size
The target population for this study are the cattle herders and crop farmers and the Christian community in Bokko L.G.A. A multi-ย stage sampling was used to select the respondents of this study.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTSย ANDย DISCUSSIONS
ย Description of Socioeconomic Characteristics of farmers and Herders in the study area
Tableย 4.1:ย Distributionย ofย Respondentsย accordingย toย Socioeconomicย Characteristics
CHAPTERย FIVE
SUMMARY,ย CONCLUSIONย ANDย RECOMMENDATIONS
ย Summary
Major findings of the studies revealed that majority of the farmers are males and onlyย veryย fewย areย female.ย Inย theย caseย ofย theย herders,ย allย theย respondentsย areย males.ย Majorityย ofย theย cropย farmersย wereย withinย theย ageย rangeย ofย 40-49ย years,ย whileย theย largestย percentage of the herders cut across 30-39 years. Majority of crop farmers and of cattleย herders interviewed had no formal education at all. More than three quarter of bothย farmers and herders are married. Most of the herders keep a herd size of less than 60ย cattle due toย activities of cattle rustlers 12% within the range of 60-99, while onlyย 12.7%ย maintain more than 100.
Result from the logit regression analysis indicates that only 3 out of 10 causal variablesย of farmer-herder conflict have significant relationship as factors responsible for theย conflict in the study area. These are crop damage by cattle (3.165), land encroachmentย (2.175)ย and inadequateย grazingย reserves (3.444).
All the respondents interviewed identify traditional rulers, police and Miyetti Allahย Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as major arbitrators of farmer-ย herder conflict, which are also more effective in handling the conflict in the study area.ย Onย methodsย ofย conflictย resolutionย commonlyย employed,ย amicableย resolutionย wasย identifiedย as the most popular, followed byย verbalย warning.
Conclusion
From the result of the findings summarised in section 4.4 of chapter four, the general conclusion that comes out strongly is that ethno-religious conflicts cause hindrance to social life, loss of economic sources of livelihood and psychological trauma. Specifically, ethno religious conflicts:
- Brings about disruption of social lives of Christians and Muslims and destruction of worship
- Revealed reduction of economic resources and properties of individual families which bring about loss of
The majorย immediate causes of the conflict are crop damage and land encroachment. Cultivation ofย crops was extended into grazing reserves and cattle routes, while crops are being eatenย and destroyed by cattle. This is an issue that has consistently been in the forefront ofย most of the farmer-herder conflicts. Each party blaming the other, but the reality is that,ย land has been under pressure as a result of increase in population coupled with theย problem aggravated by poor land tenure administration. As such, farmers view cattleย tracts and grazing reserves as lands not possessed by anyone and can therefore be freelyย encroached. The herder on the other hand, has the believe that feeding his cattle atย whatever circumstances is a superior and uncompromising right given to him by nature.ย One of the major threats to peaceful coexistence according to findings from groupย discussion withย some traditionalย rulers isย the damage caused by the influxย ofย Udawaย and Bukoloji cattle herders, who usually comes through Niger/Nigeria border. Theseย typesย ofย herdersย doย notย recognizeย theย existenceย ofย any boundary inย termsย ofย theirย grazing and they come in hundreds and are usually fully armed with modern guns. Theyย move with thousands of cattle sparing no farm.ย At the same time, a mix of weather-ย relatedย factorsย hasย pushedย farmersย toย cultivateย moreย landย eachย year,ย leavingย theย herders
fewer places to water and graze their stock. The resulting contests have been responsibleย forย theย deathsย ofย severalย hundredย Nigerians.ย Thisย callsย forย urgentย attention.ย Itย isย therefore, important for government at all levels to put more machinery on ground toย encourage climate change adaptation and mitigation. Also, Nigeria as a country shouldย invest more in combating crimes and also research should be enhanced to combat desertย encroachment, which in the long run may reduce the north-south movement of theย herders.
The Traditional rulers played a significant role in the management of herder-farmerย conflict, but the abolishing of native authority followed by the establishment of 1978ย land use act that vested the authority over land to government, has limit their effort inย thisย regard.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are suggested for proper conflict resolutions betweenย cattleย herders and theย farmers:
- Formal education for both the herders and the farmers should be encouraged through sensitization using individual and mass communication with the aid of extension agents and radio programmes respectively. Also nomadic education and vocational training schools should be strengthened to perform
- There should been enhanced public information and education on the need to respect the law with regard to restricted areas such as grazing and forest
- Government at all levels should explore better involvement of indigenous resource user groups in policies relating to natural resource management and
- Survey, demarcation, beaconing and gazetting of the government owned grazing reserves and cattle routes, to reduce pressure on the already overstretched reserves.
- Indiscriminate burning of rangelands and forest reserves should be controlled through sensitization campaigns by Non-Governmental Organizations and environmentalists, while government sanctions erring
- Governments and communities should jointly cooperate to improve the security situation around the villages with a view to tackling the menace of cattle
- The National Assembly should amend the existing Land use policy so as to afford the herders a more balanced recognition in terms of land ownership, usage and control. This may encourage the herders to accept the sedentary
- Farmers and herders should form more cooperatives and associations that canrepresent their interest and enable them speak as a group. This may reduce theย frequencyย ofย โjungleย justiceโย byย seekingย redressย fromย relevantย authorityย wheneverย dispute arose.
- The option of sedentarization of the herders in order to control the frequency oftheir North-South movement should be fully explored. Thisย can be done inย collaborationย withย traditionalย rulersย andย theย herderdsโย famousย Miyettiย Allah Cattleย Breedersย Associationย (MACBAN)ย whichย theย herdersย haveย soย muchย faith
- Increased international border patrol during the dry season in order to obtaininformation on the influx of Udawa and Bukoloji herders from the neighbouringย countries especially Niger Republic. This will enable the authority to take aย proactiveย decision on how to preventย violent confrontation.
REFERENCES
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