CAUSES AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT BETWEEN CATTLE HERDERS AND CROP FARMERS IN KATSINA STATE

CAUSES AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT BETWEEN CATTLE HERDERS AND CROP FARMERS IN KATSINA STATE

Abstract:

The study was conductedin Katsina State with the objective of investigating the causes of farmer-herder conflict and the performance of management institutions towards the resolution of the conflict in the State. Three (3) local government areas were purposively selected from the 3 senatorial zones. This was followed by the selection of 21 crop farmers and 21 cattle herders from each of the 3 local government areas through snowball sampling to obtain a sample size of 126 respondents. Data were gathered with the aid of structured interview schedules; however, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was also conducted with separate groups of herders and farmers. Descriptive statistics (mean, frequency counts, percentages) were used to describe the personal characteristics of crop farmers and cattle herders, identify the types of conflict resolution mechanisms employed by these institutions and determine the causes of the conflict as well as examine the institutions involved in the management and resolution of the conflict and logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors responsible for the cause of conflict in the study area. Results from the findings indicate that 75% of the cattle herders had no formal education implying that formal education level is very low. Crop damage by cattle (3.165, P<0.01), encroachment of cattle routes (2.175, P<0.01), inadequate grazing reserves (3.444, P<0.01), lack of access to water points (2.737, P<0.05), pollution of water points (3.022, P<0.05), indiscriminate bush burning (1.512, P<0.05), cattle rustling (1.485, P<0.05), land tenure system (1.621, P<0.05), and changes in climate conditions (1.507, P<0.05), were the causes of the conflict. Traditional rulers and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) through amicable resolution were found to be 100% effective in handling farmer-herder conflict in the study area. It was recommended that, mass campaign for formal education should be intensified in both communities; involvement of indigenous resource user groups in policies; survey, demarcation, beaconing and gazetting of the government owned grazing reserves and cattle routes; amending the existing land use policy; and sedentarizing some of the herders.

CAUSES AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT BETWEEN CATTLE HERDERS AND CROP FARMERS IN KATSINA STATE