Terrorism and land use in agriculture: The case of Boko Haram in Nigeria

In many developing countries, subsistence agriculture is the mainstay of the rural economy, improved land access and efficient land use are critical to short-term livelihoods and long-term economic transformation, and major shocks to land ownership, utilization and arrangements have far-reaching implications for farm families. In many such countries, armed conflict is emerging as a significant source of shock to agricultural and food systems, but its effects on land use are not well understood. This paper conceptualizes and estimates the causal effects of exposure to attacks on plot ownership, cultivated land, rented land, land values and cropping patterns while controlling for other factors. Using data on Nigerian agricultural households affected by Boko Haram, we find that an increase in the intensity of terrorist attacks results in an increase in the amount of land owned due to the abandonment of farms by neighbors and family members, increases the percentage of land left fallow, increases the average size of plots farmed, increases the average distance between plots farmed and the homestead, discourages mono cropping and encourages mixed cropping. Farmers’ expectations about the values of their lands also decrease with exposure to terrorism.