1.1 Introduction
Food is a necessity for humans. Man is thought to be incomplete without nourishment. According to Balogun (Balogun et al., 2017), food has definite values that make it necessary to man. Food has biological, social, economic, and political implications for humans. During the 1974 World Food Conference, the term "food security" was coined to emphasize supply. Food security is thus defined as "the availability of sufficient world food supply of fundamental commodities at all times to enable stable growth in food consumption while offsetting the volatility in production and pricing" (United Nations Agriculture Agency, 2017). Demand and access concerns were added to advanced definitions of food security understanding. Food security "occurs when all people have physical and economic access to enough, safe, and nutritious dietary to fulfill their nutritional needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life at all times," according to the World Food Summit's closing report (United Nations Agriculture Agency, 2017). Food security is described as a state where everyone has enough food to live a healthy and productive life (World Bank, 1986).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Farmers cultivate the soil or raises livestock for food and raw materials. Crop farmers, poultry farmers, animal breeders, and other sorts of farmers exist. Although crop farmers and Fulani herders both work in agriculture, crop farmers may also be referred to as stockbreeders. Among the Fulani herders, some individuals practice mixed farming. This demonstrates the connections between farming and herding as a vocation in agriculture. The majority of farmers in Nigeria come from communities in the North Central and Southern regions. Farmers grow a variety of food crops, including yams, rice, maize, guinea-corn, millet, soya beans, cassava, groundnut, cotton, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, and carrots (IPCR, 2012).
The herders’ movement had always been formerly seasonal, spending the dry season in central Nigeria; where there is more grazing land available for the herders, while returning back to the core north as soon as the rainy season begins. As more of northern Nigeria becomes desert, with grasses shrinking, basically, on a permanent basis, herders have chosen to wander to the south, searching for more fecund grazing land. Frequently, more than often, it resulted in clashes with farmers across Nigeria for access to land and water. Farmers frequently accuse herders of trespassing on their land, while herders frequently blame farmers or members of their host community for livestock thievery (Neethirajan et al., 2021).
According to the Bureau for Africa, food security is defined as "a condition in which all people have physical, social, and economic access to adequate food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life at all times" (Okechukwu, 2014). The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defined four food security supports: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability (Okechukwu, 2014). The right to food was recognized by the United Nations (UN) in the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations Agriculture Agency, 2017), and it has since been emphasized that it is necessary for the enjoyment of all other rights (United Nations Agriculture Agency, 2017). Food insecurity is diametrically opposed to food security. FAO (2004) defines food insecurity as a state in which individuals do not have secure access to adequate amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development, as well as an active and healthy life. It might be caused by a lack of food, insufficient purchasing capacity, incorrect distribution, or insufficient food utilization at the home level. The main reasons for low nutritional status include food instability, poor health and sanitation conditions, and inadequate care and feeding habits. Food insecurity can be long-term, seasonal, or transient. According to Balogun (2017), food insecurity is a condition in which people do not have consistent physical or economic access to enough safe, nutritious, and socially acceptable food to live a healthy and productive life. According to the FAO, the leading causes of food insecurity include war, civil unrest, corruption, national policies that do not encourage fair access to food for everyone, environmental degradation, inadequate agricultural development, and crop pests and diseases (FAO, 2009).
Conflicts are common in human social connections and are essential components of social life. They are commonly characterized as a dispute between two or more individuals over irreconcilable aims. They happen between people, social units, and groupings. According to Adisa (2010), conflict is a persistent aspect of human social relationships. In other words, conflict is unavoidable in human social interaction due to people with a community's perception of insufficient resources. According to Albert (2001), conflict is defined as an antagonism among the social units directed against one another.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Impact on Nigeria's Quest for Food Security during Farmers-Herders Clash.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals that lack of technological invention in the quest for a peaceful resolution of the persistent fame-herdsmen conflict has aggravated the conflict between herdsmen and farmers. In many cases of farmland infringements by herdsmen, farmers can only recourse to walking several miles to make reports at the police station. The implication is that before the officers arrive at the crime scene, the offender may have scampered away. Rather than relying on the predominant counterproductive practice, a mobile telecommunications application or software could have been designed primarily for the farmers and the herdsmen to make fast and direct complaints of crimes to the police for immediate intervention or investigation.
Furthermore, it is quite disdainful to have found that most farmlands across the Nigerian state do not possess unique recording cameras for safety and security monitoring.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Impact on Nigeria's Quest for Food Security during Farmers-Herders Clash. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the increased level of conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria,
- To assess the dynamics associated with the conflict and its impacts on food security in the country with special focus on Farmers-Herders in Taraba State.
- To analyze the factors aggravating Farmers-Herders Conflict conflicts, their evolution and spread, and their human toll in Taraba State.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Is there any significant factor aggravating Farmers-Herders Conflict conflicts in Taraba State?
- What is the increased level of conflict between farmers and herders in Nigeria?
- What are the dynamics associated with the conflict and its impacts on food security in the country with special focus on Taraba State Farmers-Herders?
1.6 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.7 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Impact on Nigeria's Quest for Food Security during Farmer-Herders Clash in Taraba State.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
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