Climate Change, Farmer-Herders Conflicts and Food Security in Nigeria

There is emerging consensus that climate has been changing. This change in the global climate has shown the capacity to threaten several aspects of global, regional and national life, among which is security and agriculture (food security). Thus, in Nigeria, the climate crisis appears to have exposed farmers and herders to frequent conflicts, and because the indigenous farmers grow the locally produced food and the herders, on the other hand, rear most of the animals that serve as meat (particularly beef), any conflict between these two places food security under threat. The study sought to: examine the role of climate change on the heightened farmers-herders conflict in Nigeria; and, explore the implications of climate change impacts on farmers-herders conflicts on Nigeria’s food security. The study was guided by the eco-violence theory, which examines the inter-relationship between environmental changes and possible conflict situations. Data were derived from secondary sources that include journal articles, texts and books. The study established that climate change plays a great role in the frequent violent conflicts that have become a constant in farmer-herders relations in recent years and that these conflicts affect the country’s agricultural output and food security negatively. The study recommends that the Nigerian state should transit from traditional agricultural system to Climate-Smart Agriculture to meet future needs, as well as build modern (public) ranches with the best of technologies in the Sahel region, to discourage nomadic herding.