residents per community, with a total of two hundred (200) residents. Quantitative and qualitative analyses

were done using frequency count and percentage, pie chart, and bar chart for the analysis of the research

objectives, while hypotheses was analysed with One-way ANOVA and a 0.05 level of significance. Results

from the study contended that the herder-farmer conflict was attributable to competition over the use of land

(100%) and destruction of farm products by the cattle (100%). This resulted in crop destruction, rape, killing,

and maiming of natives (62.5%). Besides, Agriculture, which is the mainstay of the economy, was being

disrupted, leading to a reduction in production and income, with the result showing that 1 is the degree of

freedom and .248 for the ANOVA significant is greater than the significant level of 0.05. In the end, the

livelihood of the people and the development of the communities were affected negatively, with the result

showing that 1 is the degree of freedom, and it can be seen that .376 for the ANOVA is greater than the

The resource that supports human activity most directly is likely land. A parcel of land can be used for farming,

hunting, mining, trading, building roads, and other activities. According to Tonah (2001), fertile ground

provided an opportunity for crop and animal development. Adisa (2012) argued that in a specific geographic

setting, the socio-economic life of both farmers and herders revolved around land in light of this. As a result,

competition between crop farmers and livestock farmers for access to and control over productive land in a

given area is unavoidable and can easily turn into violent clashes. This supports Blench's (2010) assertion that

disputes over who controls and owns economically productive land fuel tensions and violent conflicts between

communities.

nation's overall food security and peace and stability at risk. Due to these, interethnic warfare, religious strife,

banditry, boko-haram with Fulani herders, and farmer disputes have emerged as some of Nigeria's most

pressing problems. The economy and resources of a nation may suffer greatly as a result of these devastating

conflicts.

For many years Nigeria has been seriously threatened by herdsmen and farmers clashes which have been

exacerbated in recent years. It has therefore been considered to be a major potential threat affecting Nigerians

mostly on the part of socio-economic activities of the country as the herdsmen invade farms and destroy farm

crop and kidnap farmers. The herdsmen and farmers’ crisis is detrimental to the national economy which could

be regard as a serious obstacle to a successful national economy. It has become a major threat to the national

security and development of Nigeria due to the fact that its increased operation has caused distraction for

In view of past researches, according to a study of the barriers to cassava production in Kwara State by

Vanthooft et al. (2005), almost 90% of the farmers surveyed said that the incursion of cattle rearers into their

farms is their biggest issue with cassava cultivation. Conflicts over land use have also been named as the "most

critical" issue the Fulani livestock herders encounter in their line of work on their own. Numerous other studies

have shown that these two groups, both inside and outside of Nigeria, are becoming more and more frustrated

by war.

Recent conflicts between Fulani ranchers and farmers have resulted in several fatalities and injuries. Most

people blame ethnic and religious divisions between Muslims or Islamists and Christians, as well as Hausa and

Yoruba, for the conflict between Fulani Herdsmen and Farmers (Ogo-Oluwa, 2017). Conflict between farmers

and ranchers has led to the destruction of several farmlands. While the farmers saw the herdsmen as a threat to

strategies adopted by the local farmers, and assess immediate and remote effects of the crises on food

production.

Descriptive research is a plan or blueprint that specifies how data relating to a given problem was collected and

analyzed. The design seeks to find out the conditions that exist between Fulani herdsmen and farmers’ crisis

and food security. The target population for this study was the entire population of Yewa North. Purposeful

sampling techniques were used to select towns for the sample and all the five villages that majorly encountered

the crisis were selected namely; Ibeku, Agbon-Ojodu, Igan-Alade, Imoto Yewa, and Owode Ketu. A sample of

two hundred (n=200) questionnaires was purposively administered among these five communities at forty (40)

residents per community with a total of two hundred (200) residents. Due to the population size of the

Yewa North Local Government Area (formerly Egbado North) is located in the western part of Ogun State,

The region experiences a humid tropical climate typical of southwestern Nigeria, marked by distinct wet

(April–October) and dry (November–March) seasons influenced by tropical maritime and continental air

masses. The relief consists of sandy, clayey, and loamy soils that support farming and fishing activities. Yewa

North is well drained by several streams and rivers, including the major River Yewa. Settlement patterns are

predominantly linear, with a few nucleated towns such as Aiyetoro, Igbogila, Igan-Alade, and Ijoun. As seen in

figure 2, land use is largely agricultural and residential, with vegetation dominating the south and wetlands

found in the northern and eastern zones.

Source: Oso and Odaibo (2021)

Data for the study were gathered using an open-ended questionnaire and an observation checklist. The

instrument contained three sections (sections A, B, and C). Section A contained items requiring demographic

data of the residents, such as age, sex, and educational level, among others. Section B contained items on

‘Causes of Fulani herdsmen and farmers’ Crisis, and Section C contained items on ‘Consequences of

Herdsmen and Farmers Crisis in the Area'. Self-visitation to each location and house was done to administer

the questions to the respondent with the help of two research assistants. The majority of the residents were

illiterate; thus, the researcher asked the questions in the questionnaire orally with the use of the local language

(Yoruba) and local dialect (Ketu) and then helped the residents to fill out the questionnaire with the

information provided by the residents.

within the age range of 45 and 54 years (27.5%), then, followed by those within the age range of 55 and 64

years (23.5%). Surprisingly, 9.5% of the farmers were between the age range of 35 and 44 years, and 4% were

between the age range of 25 and 34. The results also showed that just 1.5% of them fell between 15 and 24

years.

Table 1 provides information on the major causes of the herdsmen-farmers’ crisis in the surveyed areas. All the

surveyed respondents lamented that the crisis broke out as a result of the inhuman acts by the Fulani herdsmen

by the destruction of farmland (100%), killing of farmers (100%), and raping of women (100%), both young

and adult. During the group interview scheduled with the farmers, some lamented that these Fulani herdsmen

trying to claim their lands from them, and their relationship from onset has been parasitic. They always want

rule over the indigenes of the communities, which every human being will never accept.

In addition to the above, pictorial evidence was obtained from the Baale of Imoto and some youth at Igan-

Alade, Agbon-Ojodu and Ibeku during the survey. Baale of Imoto recounted how this menace was in the past

four to six months ago without any compensation from government. Figure 4 presents a picture of the

aftermath of a farm invaded cattle and herdsman on April, 2021. He claimed that the Fulani herdsman allowed

his cattle to feed on the crops.

was occasioned by crop destruction and the offending herdsman was identified, he was approached and

interpersonal agreement was reached. This was usually in the form of compensation. This depended on the

admission of guilt and the extent of damage. The herder was sometimes pardoned if he showed signs of

remorse.

of Rahim (2000) such as domination, avoidance and compromise.

This is consistent with the approaches they adopted when they got frustrated by their opponent. The adoption

of these strategies was informed by the trust they had in those strategies. In fact the choice of open

confrontation was due to the mistrust the farmers had in the herders to abide by the agreement reached.

On the few occasions where the farmers decided to go for arbitration, their preferred destination was the court.

The farmers alleged that the police often failed to act on the reports they lodged with them. Police were only

consulted as a form of arbitrary only to make official their complaints to the government, and also hoped for

little help they might get from the police. According to the traditional ruler and some community leaders, ever

since the police commissioner came to inspect two months ago, they had not seen or heard anything from him.

Although they heard that the state government deployed some forces to some areas but none were deployed to

their communities. These frustrations shared by the Assemblyman and the Imam were what informed the

farmers, especially the young male ones, to adopt this strategy. They admitted the bureaucracy involved in

court issues and how it affected their work, but the loss of confidence in the police left them with no other

choice.

and raping of women (100%), both young and adult. During the group interview scheduled with the farmers,

some lamented that these Fulani herdsmen are trying to claim their lands from them, and their relationship

from the onset has been parasitic. They always want to rule over the indigenes of the communities, which

every human being will never accept. This result agrees with Miles and Huberman (1994) stated that climate

change, crop destruction, murder, armed robbery, rape, and non-adherence to traditional rules are found to

contribute to conflict escalation.

Farm destruction in all the communities was of high intensity (84%). It was further noted that there was a high

level of destruction of farm products and destruction of farmland. This corroborates Boateng (2015) argument

that the first cause of conflict between farmers with herdsmen is the destruction of farm products and farmland.

The major issue many respondents cited was the destruction of their crops by cattle. This finding is in line with