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Research Publisher: Manuscript central Available Online at www.ijcrr.info International Journal of Contemporary Research and Review ISSN 0976 – 4852 https://doi.org/10.15520/ijcrr.v10i02.663 February, 2019|Volume 10|Issue 02| Section: Agriculture Impacts of Fulani Herdsmen-farmers’ Conflicts on Food Production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. M. Babagana1, Madaki M. J.2, G. Y. Ibrahim mcpn3, A.Adamu4, A.A. Gujja5 1Department of Animal Health and Production Technology, College of Agriculture Gujba, Yobe State, Nigeria. 2Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria. 3Department of Computer Operations, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria. 4Department of Basic Sciences, College of Agriculture Gujba, Yobe State, Nigeria. 5Department of Forestry Technology, College of Agriculture Gujba, Yobe State, Nigeria. Corresponding Author: M. Babagana Received: 2019-01-14; Accepted 2019-02-08, Publish Online 2019-02-11 Abstract: The research which studied impacts of Fulani herdsmen- farmers’ conflicts on crop production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe state, Nigeria was conducted between the months of Januiary- February, 2019. Descriptive survey design involving mixed methods was used. Self-made Closed ended questionnaire and Structured Interview Guide were the data collection instruments used. Purposive and Systematic Random sampling techniques were used to select the 397 respondents who participated in the study. The sample size comprised of Fulani herdsmen, farmers, village and ward heads as well as some officials of the Department of Agriculture of the two L.G.A. Data collected was analysed in SPSS Version 20 using Descriptive Statistics and Chi square. Findings revealed that the majority of the respondents including both herdsmen and farmers were subsistence farmers though few also engage in commercial farming. Regarding the causes of the conflicts, lack of grazing fields, indiscriminate bush burning, crop destruction, Boko Haram insurgency etc. were responsible for the occurrence of the clashes. No significant difference was found in the perceptions of the herdsmen and farmers on causes of the conflicts. Impacts of Fulani herdsmen-farmers’ conflicts as revealed by the study included loss of crops, reduced productivity, loss of lives, increase in prices of agricultural products, increased poverty etc. Based on the findings made, it was concluded that, if the causes of herdsmen-farmers’ conflicts were not properly addressed; its impacts will continue to escalate with devastating consequences. Besides, the menace of food insecurity and Boko Haram insurgency which have bedeviled the areas for many years can also be worsened by the impacts of such conflicts especially that poverty, food insecurity and increased tension were also cited by many scholars as some of the factors fuelling Boko Haram insurgency in the areas studied. Thus, it was recommended that, in order to bring an end to the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers, governments at all levels should work out modalities on how to stop crop destruction by establishing cattle tracks and grazing zones where crop farming will be severely restricted and prevent indiscriminate bush burning. Sensitization programmes on how to maintain cordial relationships between farming communities and herdsmen should be organized by the government and other stakeholders while the issue of Boko Haram insurgency which led to decrease in farmers’ productivity should also be well addressed by the government International Journal of Contemporary Research and Review, Vol. 10, Issue. 02, Page no: AG 20316-20331 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15520/ijcrr.v10i02.663 Page | 20316 M. Babagana et al. Impacts of Fulani Herdsmen-farmers’ Conflicts on Food Production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. and bring an end to it. Besides, the current land tenure system should be relaxed such that land acquisition becomes easier so that farm owners can expand their farms and produce more food crops and herdsmen can have access to more grazing fields. Key words: Impacts, Fulani-herdsmen, Farmers, Crop production, Gujba, Tarmuwa, Yobe, Nigeria. Introduction: It is probably inarguable that resource ownership and their host communities (farmers) escalated. and utilization have directly and indirectly defined Pastoralists move their herds to graze on farmlands the dimensions of most conflicts involving man belonging to crop farmers and also acquire the food since time immemorial. Of all resources, however, stuffs produced by crop farmers. Farmers on the land has remained an overwhelming source of other hand require from pastoralists protein and conflicts among various user groups as well as dairy products. The survival of pastoralists is individuals at varying thresholds. In particular, dependent upon their interaction with sedentary conflicts between farmers and herdsmen in the use people. Thus both farmers and pastoralists depend of agricultural land are becoming fiercer and on each other for water, fodder, land and other increasingly widespread in Nigeria, largely due to resources (Monod, 1975). ‘intensification and extensification’ of production The resultant increase in competition for arable land activities that are necessitated by increasing human has often times led to serious manifestation of population (Gefu and Kolawole 2005; Fasona and hostilities and social friction among the two user- Omojola 2005 cited in Adisa and Adekunle, 2010). groups in many parts of Nigeria. The conflicts have The vital role of agriculture in the development of not only heightened the level of insecurity, but have conflicts between pastoralists and farmers have also demonstrated high potential to exacerbate the been noted as an example of Low Intensity Conflict food crisis in Nigeria and other affected countries emanating from environmental degradation, due to loss of farmer lives, animals, crops and resource scarcity, demographic and climate change valuable properties (Cotula et al.,. 2004 cited in (Shettima and Tar, 2008). Within the West African Adisa and Adekunle, 2010).The relationship sub-region, a large section of the population depend existing between farmers and pastoralists therefore on the production of livestock and crops production makes conflicts inevitable as competing interest for their livelihood and survival, more than 12 arises over the use of natural resources. These million people in West Africa depend on the conflicts are occasioned by the seasonal weather production of livestock and crop production as their conditions which forces pastoralists to move from primary means of support whereas over 70 million the semi-arid areas in search of pastures further people in the same region also depend on livestock south, which results in competition over access to and crop production related enterprises for their available land for crop cultivation and grazing livelihood, farmers and pastoralists interdepend on pastures for the cattle. each other for survival. The Fulani own over ninety Farmer-herdsmen conflict has rem the most percent of the livestock population which accounts preponderant resource-use conflict in Nigeria for one-third of agricultural GDP and 3.2% of the (Ajuwon, 2004; Fasona and Omojola, 2005 cited in entire GDP in Nigeria (Fabiyi & Otunuga, 2016 Rashid, 2012). The necessity to provide food of crop cited in Ajibefun, 2018). However, the Fulani and animal origin, as well as raw materials for herders in most cases settled in fertile areas to rear industry and export in order to meet evergrowing their cattle and when the migration continued to be demands, has led to both “intensification and dictated by economic and socio-political factors, extensification” of land use (Nyong and Fiki, 2005 increased trends of conflicts between the herders International Journal of Contemporary Research and Review, Vol. 10, Issue. 02, Page no: AG 20316-20331 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15520/ijcrr.v10i02.663 Page | 20317 M. Babagana et al. Impacts of Fulani Herdsmen-farmers’ Conflicts on Food Production in Gujba and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. cited in Rashi, 2012). The competition between menace. In the case of Nigeria, the frequent these two agricultural land user-groups, however, occurrence of herdsmen and farmers (Crop has often times turned into serious overt and covert Producer) crisis has left adverse effects on food manifestation of hostilities and social friction in security and socio-economic development of the many parts of Nigeria. The conflicts have people. The murderous campaigns and vicious demonstrated high potential to exacerbate the onslaughts on individuals and institutions provide insecurity and food crisis particularly in rural highly unfavorable business environment for communities where most of the conflicts are internal and foreign investment, which is a major localized, with reverberating consequences factor in the achievement of sustainable nationwide. development. For instance, the conflict in Darfur region of Sudan A study of constraints to cassava production in started as a resource based conflict between Kwara State by Vanthooft et al., (2005), found that herdsmen and farmers before transforming into a over 90% of interviewed farmers indicated that their full-blown war that has claimed over 200,000 lives greatest problem in cassava production is cattle and rendered over a million people homeless rearers