Herders’ violence: Enough excuses, implement ranching

A new report, "Insecurity, Livelihoods and Welfare in Northern Nigeria," provides strong evidence that open grazing has become a significant security and economic crisis in Nigeria. The report concludes that herder violence against farmers, coupled with banditry and insurgency, is pushing millions into poverty and undermining the nation's food security, a situation that should concern all policymakers.

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Households in the North-East affected by Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks recorded between eight and 14 per cent lower expenditure per adult equivalent when violent incidents occurred within two years before the survey.

Northern Nigeria, considered the country's food basket, faces dire consequences when farmers abandon their lands due to violence. This leads to soaring food inflation, reduced agricultural production, and increased hunger across Nigeria. The report, a collaboration involving the Institute of Development Studies (UK), the Development Research and Projects Centre, and the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria project, utilized extensive data, including surveys and conflict event data from 2010 to 2025.

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Farmer-herder clashes had the most severe impact on near-poor households in the North-Central zone, resulting in a 14 per cent drop in expenditure at the 60th percentile, the largest single welfare effect recorded in the study.

Vidya Diwakar, Deputy Director of CPAN, explained that the study found significant welfare impacts. Households in the North-East affected by Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks experienced an 8-14% reduction in expenditure. Farmer-herder clashes had the most severe effect on near-poor households in the North-Central zone, causing a 14% drop in expenditure. In the North-West, banditry and kidnapping led to 4-11% expenditure losses, particularly among moderately poor households.

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In the North-West, banditry and kidnapping were linked to expenditure losses ranging from four to 11 per cent, particularly among moderately poor households.

While the report recommends livelihood diversification and peacebuilding, the article argues these measures do not address the fundamental issue. It contends that modern ranching must replace open grazing to resolve one of Nigeria's most violent conflicts. The current system of open grazing is described as a primitive livestock production method that fuels violence, leads to displacement and destruction, empties farming communities, devastates agriculture, and creates an environment conducive to banditry and terrorism. Without ranching, all other interventions are seen as merely treating symptoms.

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Those recommendations are sensible, but they do not tackle the root cause of one of Nigeria’s bloodiest conflicts. The country cannot diversify livelihoods while villages are being overrun by armed herders. It cannot build peace while allowing a primitive livestock production system that breeds violence to flourish. Without replacing open grazing with modern ranching, every intervention amounts to treating the symptoms while ignoring the disease.