Farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria: Examining the role of identity politics, women’s agency and impacts on local food production

Farmer-herder conflicts are widespread across Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in states with both smallholder farmers and pastoralist populations. In Central Nigeria, the conflicts have become a near bi-annual occurrence as farmers and Fulbe herders tend to engage each other at every planting and harvest season. Investigating farmer-herder conflict escalation within this region remains relevant as these conflicts tend to sophisticate over time, often intersecting with social identities, political and economic issues. Previous studies have made interesting findings regarding the environmental, demographic and economic enablers of these conflicts, but relatively limited scholarly attention has been dedicated to exploring the role of identity politics in catalysing these conflicts. The level of women’s involvement in the escalation and de-escalation of these conflicts has equally received relatively little academic attention, and so are the effects of the conflicts on local food production in affected communities in the specific region of North-Central Nigeria. This study relied on qualitative insights from farmers, Fulbe herders, state officials, traditional leaders, state security operatives and aid workers, obtained through interviews and focus group discussions, to explore the nexus between identity politics and farmer-herder conflicts, women’s agency in the escalation and de-escalation of farmer-herder conflicts and the implications of the conflicts on local food production in North-Central Nigeria. Collected data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis with the assistance of the NVivo software version 11.0. The study found that political actors in the region had often leveraged on the existing ethnic, religious, occupational and cultural differences between farmers and herders to deepen anti-pastoralist sentiments among farmers while courting their affection by formulating and implementing anti-pastoral legislations aimed at expelling Fulbe herders or restricting their transhumance activities in the region. These push Fulbe herders into adopting guerrilla resistance strategies, further complicating the conflicts. The study argues that identity politics deepens divisions and shifts farmer-herder conflicts from resource-based to ethnic and religious grievances. It concludes that farmer-herder conflicts do not rest solely on resource scarcity but are equally enabled by politically manipulated social and religious identities, with both men and women playing active roles in the escalation and de-escalation of these conflicts. The study recommends a massive awareness campaign by civil society organisations so that community members become aware and are able to detect and resist identity manipulations for political gains.