Abstract

Farmer-pastoralist conflict in Nigeria is a serious cause of concern for the nationís security, requiring various approaches and methods to get a lasting resolution. This paper investigated the roles of stakeholders in farmer-pastoralist conflict prevention and resolution in the context of a rural community in a developing country like Nigeria. Data was collected using key informant interviews with 45 stakeholders and were subjected to a stakeholder analysis. Results of the study revealed that most of the primary and external stakeholders lacked the power to enforce their roles. Additionally, the high interests of the primary stakeholders in conflict prevention and resolution could be due to them being the primary victims in these types of conflicts. On the contrary, some important secondary stakeholders had low interest in preventing and or resolving farmer-pastoralist conflicts despite their high powers. The paper recommended that sensitisation on state grazing laws, community customs, and ethical guidelines related to land use, livestock management, conflict management, and conflict resolution for stakeholders with low levels of interests should be fostered realistically, as it could help enhance awareness and facilitate adjudicating over conflict issues for speedy resolution and management in the study area.

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