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Implication Of Herdsmen Banditry Activities On Food Scarcity In Nigeria

Implication Of Herdsmen Banditry Activities On Food Scarcity In Nigeria

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Implication Of Herdsmen Banditry Activities On Food Scarcity In Nigeria

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background of the Study

Food shortage, with its threats to survival and severe bodily and psychological anguish, has been a component of human experience and culture since the dawn of language and cognition. The need to tackle the issues connected with insufficient food production and consumption in Nigeria has been a recurring concern since the country gained independence in 1960.

The Federal Ministry of National Planning (1975) projected that the agricultural industry would create jobs for active but unemployed people, ensure self-sufficiency and self-reliance in food production, and earn foreign exchange, but these projections were not realised.

Many academics have recently revealed in their studies that Nigeria would experience food scarcity in 2022 if insecurity in the farming community persists (FAO 2016).

This is due to the ongoing bandit attacks on farmers in the Northeast and Middle Belt, the nation’s food basket. As a result, farming communities evacuate their homes, abandoning their crops and farms, which is likely to lead to food scarcity or instability.

Food scarcity/insecurity, as measured in the United States, refers to the social and economic problem of a shortage of food owing to limited resources, circumstances, or other factors. This definition is backed by the ethnographic research undertaken by Radimer et al. (1992). According to Wolfe, Frongillo, and Valois (2003), food scarcity/insecurity occurs when there is

(1) uncertainty about future food availability and access,

(2) insufficiency in the amount and type of food required for a healthy lifestyle, or

(3) the need to use socially unacceptable methods to obtain food, as well as the concurrence of crises that would prevent food production from being available. Thus, the surge in banditry attacks on rural communities by herders has become a critical economic concern.

Banditry is a term used to describe acts of robbery and violence in situations where the rule of law has collapsed (Collins 2000). Banditry is the formation of armed bands with the intent of assaulting state or societal institutions, corporations, or individuals. Participation in such bands, as well as their attacks, is considered banditry (Collins, 2000).

Notably, any sort of violence that causes insecurity in rural areas where the bulk of the population is farmers is certain to have an impact on food security and farming methods around the world, resulting in an increase in food scarcity.

The United Nations said in September 2020 that attacks by insurgent and banditry organisations will exacerbate food scarcity/insecurity in Africa until 2022, since these terrorist operations impede farming techniques and food crop production. On this basis, this study seeks to investigate the impact of banditry actions on food scarcity.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Insecurity from both Boko Haram and Fulani herders poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s agriculture sector. Terrorist and banditry activities in northeast Nigeria have had a significant impact on agricultural activity, causing disruptions in farming communities.

Farming activities are not only impossible to carry out in an uncertain climate, but domestic agricultural production is suppressed, farming communities are uprooted, and access to regional markets is restricted (Eigege & Cooke, 2016).

In addition to the Boko-haram insurgent organisation, Fulani herdsmen banditry gangs have become a major threat to farming villages due to their frequent attacks on these communities, which have resulted in casualties.

The Fulani pastoralists’ atrocious banditry attacks on farming districts have rendered it impossible for farmers in these areas to produce or harvest their crops. Aside from the physical assault on farmers, livestock (cows, cattle) have caused severe damage to farmers’ crops, exacerbating their distress.

The consequences of this are persistent increases in food commodity prices, shortages of particular food goods, and detrimental food scarcity/insecurity in the country, as places where food crops are grown/produced are no longer farming owing to insecurity.

Notably, the majority of farmers in agriculturally popular communities in the middle belt, northwest, and northeast have abandoned their farms and migrated to other communities in search of safety, leaving their farm crops unharvested and seedlings destroyed by banditry groups, posing a negative impact on the availability of food products and creating a food shortage in the country. Thus, given this backdrop, this study seeks to investigate the impact of herdsmen banditry activities on food scarcity in Nigeria.

1.3 GOALS OF THE STUDY

The overall goal of this study is to investigate the impact of herdsmen banditry activities on food scarcity in Nigeria. Specifically, it will

Examine the various types of banditry attacks on farming villages.

Determine the degree to which herdsmen banditry actions impede food crop production.

Investigate the impact of herders banditry on food crop productivity.

Determine whether herders’ banditry activities have a major impact on food scarcity.

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study will be useful to the general public. It will raise public awareness of the need to prepare for the looming food crisis.It will bring to the government’s attention the urgent necessity to put security measures in place around farming communities that are vulnerable to attacks in order to prevent the nation from suffering food insecurity.

It will provide the Ministry of Agriculture with information on the consequences of national food insecurity and the need to implement policies to ensure that other regions of the country begin food crop production without relying on the crisis zone.

This study will also teach those from the country’s regions (particularly the southeast, south-south, and western states) who are interested in farming about the importance of starting right away without absolute dependence, since this will help the country avoid food shortages. Finally, this study will serve as a reference for other scholars and provide opportunities for future research.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The overall goal of this study is to investigate the impact of herdsmen banditry activities on food scarcity in Nigeria. It will investigate the many types of bandit attacks on farming communities. It will determine the extent to which herders banditry impedes food crop production.

It will look into the impact of herders banditry on food crop output. It will assess whether herders’ banditry actions have a substantial impact on food scarcity. However, the scope of this study is limited to the Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun zones of Ogun State.

1.6 Research Hypotheses

H01: There is no significant influence of herders banditry actions on agricultural food crop production.

H02: Herdsmen banditry actions have no major impact on food price increases or scarcity.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

A few things posed as limitations to the investigation. These are financial and time constraints.

Financial constraints- Insufficient funds tend to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in accessing relevant resources, literature, or information, as well as in data collecting (internet, questionnaire, and interview).

Time constraints: The researcher will conduct this investigation while also working on other academic projects. This will reduce the amount of time spent on research.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Farming is the practice of growing crops or raising livestock for food and raw materials.

Famine: A famine is a widespread lack of food caused by a variety of circumstances such as war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government policy.

Food crops are plants that provide the majority of the world’s food supply. They include grains, legumes (including dry beans), seeds and nuts, vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices, beverage plants such as tea and coffee, and so on.

Food Scarcity: A scarcity or shortage of food occurs when there is insufficient food production, such as when crops fail due to drought, crisis, pests, or excessive moisture.

However, the issue can also be caused by an uneven distribution of a country’s natural resource endowment, as well as by human institutions like government, public policy, and terrorist attacks on rural communities.

Food insecurity is quantified at the household level and refers to the unpredictable, insufficient, or undesirable availability, access, or utilisation of food.

Banditry is a sort of organised crime conducted by outlaws that usually includes the threat or use of violence. A bandit is someone who conducts crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either alone or in groups.

Herdsmen, often known as Fulani pastoralists, live nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles. Fulani people primarily raise livestock.

Crisis: A crisis is defined as any occurrence or period that will or may result in an unstable and dangerous condition affecting an individual, a group, or the entire society.

Crises are negative changes in human or environmental situations, particularly when they occur unexpectedly and with little or no notice.

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