CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Any sort of violence that causes insecurity in rural areas where farmers make up the bulk of the population is sure to have an impact on food security and farming methods around the world.
A farming system is an integrated collection of operations that farmers carry out on their farms in order to maximize production and net farm income on a long-term basis, given their resources and circumstances. A farming system is a method of building farm-household systems based on productivity, profitability, stability, and sustainability.
Understanding farm household and community interlinkages, reviewing restrictions, and assessing potentials are all part of the agricultural system method. However, the surge in banditry attacks by ranchers on farming communities has become a major source of economic concern.
Acts of robbery and violence in countries where the rule of law has broken down are referred to as banditry (Collins, 2000). The organizing of armed bands for the goal of attacking state or societal institutions, businesses, or individuals is known as banditry. Banditry is defined as participation in such gangs and attacks carried out by them (Collins, 2000).
The prevalence and severity of banditry in West Africa has contributed to a rise in regional instability, posing a threat to the sub region’s regional integration (Abdullahi, 2019).
In September 2020, the United Nations predicted that attacks by the AlShabaab insurgent group will exacerbate food insecurity and hinder farming techniques in Mozambique until 2021. (Channels, 2020). The Federal Government of Nigeria has recognized that banditry poses a severe threat to farming communities in the country’s northern regions. In April 2017, the Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development and Interior launched the development of a special AgroRangers Corps unit to defend farmers and farming Direct Res. J. Agric. Food Sci. 440 investments around the country.
Statement Of The Problem
Insecurity from both Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen is a big threat to Nigeria’s agriculture economy. The Boko Haram terrorist and banditry activities in northeast Nigeria have had a significant influence on agricultural activity and the farming sector. Rural activities are not only impossible to carry out in an insecure environment, but domestic agricultural production is inhibited, farming communities are relocated, and access to regional markets is restricted (Eigege & Cooke, 2016). In addition to the Boko Haram terrorist group, Fulani herdsmen have become a huge menace to farming communities as a result of their frequent attacks and deaths. The Fulani pastoralists’ atrocious banditry attacks on these farming districts have made it difficult for farmers in these areas to go to their crops to cultivate or harvest. Aside from the physical assault on the farmers, the damage caused by the herdsmen’s livestock (cows, cattle, etc.) aggravates the pain of the defenseless farmers. The economic consequence is seen in the unabated rise in food commodity prices, shortage of particular food products, and acute food insecurity since places where food is planted/produced are no longer producing. This is because most farmers in the agriculturally famous communities in the middle belt, northwest, and northeast have abandoned their farms and moved to other regions in search of safety, leaving their farms fallow and unharvested crops, posing a threat to the farming system. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of banditry on Nigeria’s farming sector.
Objective Of The Study
The overall goal of this research is to look into the impact of banditry on Nigeria’s farming system. It will, in particular,
- Investigate the various types of banditry attacks on farming communities.
- Determine the extent to which Nigeria’s farming sector is impacted by banditry.
- Examine the impact of banditry attacks on agricultural techniques.
- Determine whether the impacted farming system will result in food scarcity and price increases.
Significance Of The Study
This research will add to the existing body of knowledge. Most importantly, it will alert the government to the urgent need to deploy security agents to vulnerable rural areas. It will inform the Ministry of Agriculture on the impact of these attacks on food security, as well as the necessity to plan for the worst-case scenario if nothing is done. This study will also educate those from various parts of the country (particularly the southeast, south-south, and western states) who are interested in farming about the importance of getting started right away, rather than relying solely on the Middle-Belt, North-East, and Northwest, which are under attack, and thus preventing a food shortage. Finally, this research will be used as a source of information.
Scope Of The Study
This research will look into the impact of banditry on Nigeria’s farming sector. The numerous types of banditry attacks on farming communities will be examined. It will determine the extent to which banditry has an impact on Nigeria’s farming sector. It will look into the impact of banditry attacks on farming practices and see if the disrupted farming system can lead to shortages and an increase in prices. The study’s scope, however, is limited to the Konshisha Local Government in Benue State.
Research Hypotheses
H01: Banditry has no significant impact on the farming system.
H02: Banditry has no major impact on food costs or food insecurity.
Limitation Of The Study
A few variables contributed to the study’s limitations. These are the financial and time constraints.
Financial constraints– A lack of funds impedes the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data gathering procedure (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint– The researcher will be working on this subject while also doing other academic tasks. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
Definitions Of Terms
Growing crops or maintaining animals for food and raw materials is referred to as farming.
Famine: A famine is a severe lack of food caused by a variety of circumstances such as war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government actions.
Food insecurity is a notion that refers to the unpredictable, insufficient, or undesirable availability, access, or usage of food at the household level.
Farming System: A farming system is an integrated collection of activities that farmers conduct on their farms to maximize production and net farm revenue on a long-term basis, given their resources and circumstances.
Outlaws commit banditry, which is a sort of organized crime that usually involves the threat or use of violence. A bandit is a person who engages in banditry and commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either individually or in gangs.
Herdsmen, often known as Fulani pastoralists, are nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists. People from the Fulani tribe whose primary vocation is cattle farming. A crisis is any occurrence or period that will or may lead to an unstable and dangerous situation that affects an individual, a group, or society as a whole. Crises are undesirable changes in human or environmental situations, particularly when they come suddenly and without notice.
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