Abstract

There is heightened insecurity stemming from conflicts between farmers and herders in Nigeria. This has led to killings, insubordination and food insecurity as farmers do not feel safe to go to their farms again. The study determined the effects of farmer-herder conflict on crop farmersí income generation. Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State was purposively selected. Interview schedule was used to elicit data from 100 crop farmers selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected on causes of conflicts, consequences of conflicts, conflict resolution methods and crop farmersí income before and after conflict. Mean, frequency, percentage, t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used for data analysis at 5%. Reprisal attacks (95.0%), and competition over the use of land/water resources (92.0%) were major reasons for farmers-herdersí conflicts. Prominent consequences of conflict include lack of access to farmland (100.0%), a threat to national security (100.0%), destruction of farmland by herdsmen (97.0%) and reduction in output (97.0%). Major methods of conflict resolution were reportage to law enforcement agencies (100.0%) and tolerance (79.0%). A significant difference existed between the annual income of farmers before and after conflicts (t=7.558). Age (?=0.389) and farm size (?=0.339) significantly determined farmersí income after conflict. Farmer-herder conflicts negatively affected crop farmersí income. Government should enlighten farmers on peaceful coexistence and their importance to national food security attainment.

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