Internal Displacement of Farmers and Food Losses in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Internal displacement has become the norm in far too many countries, often in places with some of the lowest development indicators and the highest levels of violence. In many places it is fueled and perpetuated by unresolved inter-ethnic, religious or political tensions. Displacement affects food security, also provides fertile ground for human rights abuses including torture, rape, killings, as well as forced evictions, forced migration and loss of heritage. In Nigeria, the clashes, instead of abating have been on the increase exponentially to the dismay of rural farmers. However, in spite of the spate of violent clashes between nomadic herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria, and other causative factors of internal displacement of rural farmers, adequate social research attention has not been given to the implications and its effects on household food production and food security generally. The study therefore investigated the quantity of food losses from 2016 to 2020 as a result of internal displacement of farmers in Benue State.

Materials and Methods: This study employed social survey design. A combination of Cluster sampling, random sampling and purposive sampling was used in selecting 429 respondents for the study. Data was collected with the use of a well semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively.

Results: The result shows that most of the internally displaced farmers 142 (39.4%) were within the age bracket of 56 – 65 years with 225(62.5%) of the female and that a simple majority of the respondents 139(38.6%) had only primary education. majority of the IDPs 112(31.1) are farmers with farming experience of 16 – 20 years. 131(36.4%) and 99(27.5%) of the respondents had farm sizes ranging from 1-2 hectres and 3-4 hectres of land respectively with majority of them having been displaced for over 12months. The results on quantity of food lost indicated a level of decrease in quantity of crop production from 2016-2020 which is evidence that violence and internal displacement have negatively influenced agricultural productivity and investment.

Conclusion: The study recommended a process of peace building which is multi-faceted, involving re-establishing security and law and order; reconstruction and economic rehabilitation; reconciliation and social rehabilitation; and political transition to creating a more accountable governance structures and institutions

Key Words: Internal Displacement; Food Losses; Cassava; Yam

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-10-07

Publication date:May 31^st 2022