Understanding Herders–Farmers Conflicts in Delta State, Nigeria: A Political Ecology and Livelihoods Vulnerability Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21142/SS-0701-2026-e149Keywords:
Herder-farmer conflict, community development, rural livelihood, Delta State, agro-pastoralismAbstract
This research examines the causes of herder-farmer conflicts in Delta State, as well as their socioeconomic impacts and effects on relationships, employing a mixed-methods convergent parallel design. Data were gathered from 396 survey respondents and 30 key informants in three conflict-prone Local Government Areas. The results indicate considerable spatial variation in the levels of conflict, with Isoko North found to have experienced the greatest levels of conflict, resulting from land scarcity and environmental degradation. Conflict prevalence was found to be a strong predictor of economic disruption (β=.68), while there was a strong correlation with food insecurity (r=.53) and moderate correlation with social cohesion breakdown (r=.44). Qualitative accounting indicated a decline in harvests, disruption of rural markets, interruptions to education and constraints on women’s labor and mobility. Communities were found to be relying upon vigilante groups, such as trustbusters, while at the same time little confidence was placed in formal peacebuilding structures, pointing to institutional weakness. Our findings support the view of established political ecology and livelihood vulnerability perspectives, through which such conflicts are interpreted as structurally rooted and ecologically mediated, demonstrating the need for enhanced land governance measures and adaptive development strategies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Obaro Dominic Oghenejabor, Benjamin Evi Benjamin Evi, Malvin Nnamdi Kukaye

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.








