THE IMPACT OF OPEN GRAZING PROHIBITION AND RANCHES ESTABLISHMENT LAW OF BENUE STATE 2017 AND FARM OUTPUT FROM 2017-2023
Keywords:
Open Grazing, farm Output, Farmer-Herder Conflict, Ranching, Benue StateAbstract
This study examines the impact of the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law (2017) on farm output between 2017 and 2023 using a qualitative research design. Data were generated through documentary analysis and key informant interviews with farmers, herders, extension officers, local government officials, and community leaders, and analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that while the law reduced farm invasions, enhanced farmers' confidence, and encouraged the cultivation of previously abandoned farmlands, its overall effectiveness was undermined by weak enforcement, inadequate stakeholder engagement, limited ranching infrastructure, and persistent farmer-herder tensions. The study further reveals that the absence of viable alternatives for pastoralists constrained livestock production and reinforced recurring conflicts, thereby limiting the law's contribution to agricultural productivity. It concludes that sustainable agricultural growth requires effective implementation, inclusive stakeholder participation, investment in ranching infrastructure, and conflict-sensitive policy approaches that address the livelihoods of both farmers and herders.
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Okoli, A. C., & Atelhe, G. A. (2014). Nomads against natives: A political ecology of herder/farmer conflicts in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 4(2), 76–88.
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Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. (1952). Structure and function in primitive society. Free Press.
Tenuche, M. S., & Ifatimehin, O. O. (2009). Resource conflict among farmers and Fulani herdsmen: Implications for resource sustainability. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 3(9), 360–364.
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Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.
Aderinto, A., & Achem, V. (2019). A concentric approach to understanding herders-farmers clashes in Benue and Nasarawa States, Nigeria. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 11(4), 37–42. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJSA2019.0803
Amnesty International. (2018). Harvest of death: Three years of bloody clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria. Amnesty International.
Benue State Emergency Management Agency. (2024). Annual report on internally displaced persons and conflict situations in Benue State. BENSEMA.
Benue State Government. (2017). Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017. Government Printer.
Blench, R. (2010). Conflict between pastoralists and cultivators in Nigeria: Review paper. Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Durkheim, É. (1984). The division of labour in society (W. D. Halls, Trans.). Free Press. (Original work published 1893)
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2019). Pastoralism in Africa: Supporting sustainable livestock production. FAO.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2019). Sustainable livestock management and environmental conservation. FAO.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2021). Livestock development strategy. FAO.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2023). FAOSTAT statistical database. FAO.
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. (2019). National Livestock Transformation Plan (2019–2028). Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
International Crisis Group. (2017). Herders against farmers: Nigeria's expanding deadly conflict (Africa Report No. 252). International Crisis Group.
International Crisis Group. (2018). Stopping Nigeria's spiralling farmer-herder violence (Africa Report No. 262). International Crisis Group.
Israel, M., & Hay, I. (2006). Research ethics for social scientists. Sage.
Kumar, R. (2019). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (5th ed.). Sage.
Kwaja, C. M. A., & Ademola-Adelehin, B. I. (2017). The implications of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law on farmer-herder relations in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. Search for Common Ground.
Kwaja, C. M. A., & Ademola-Adelehin, B. I. (2018). Responses to conflicts between farmers and herders in the Middle Belt of Nigeria: Mapping past efforts and opportunities for violence prevention. Search for Common Ground.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Malinowski, B. (1944). A scientific theory of culture and other essays. University of North Carolina Press.
Merton, R. K. (1968). Social theory and social structure (Enlarged ed.). Free Press.
Murdock, G. P. (1949). Social structure. Macmillan.
National Population Commission. (2009). 2006 population and housing census of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: Population distribution by sex, state, local government area and enumeration area. National Population Commission.
Ofuoku, A. U., & Isife, B. I. (2010). Causes, effects and resolution of farmers–nomadic cattle herders conflict in Delta State, Nigeria. Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, 43(1), 33–41.
Ogboru, T., & Adejonwo-Osho, O. (2018). Towards an effective cattle grazing and rearing legal framework: An imperative for environmental protection. Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, 9(1), 180–202.
Okoli, A. C., & Atelhe, G. A. (2014). Nomads against natives: A political ecology of herder/farmer conflicts in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 4(2), 76–88.
Parsons, T. (1951). The social system. Free Press.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. (1952). Structure and function in primitive society. Free Press.
Tenuche, M. S., & Ifatimehin, O. O. (2009). Resource conflict among farmers and Fulani herdsmen: Implications for resource sustainability. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 3(9), 360–364.
United Nations Development Programme. (2021). Assessing the economic impact of farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria. UNDP.
World Bank. (2023). Nigeria development update: Seizing the opportunity. World Bank.
World Bank. (2023). World development indicators. World Bank.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.
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