AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN FARMER-HERDER CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEBUILDING IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
Agricultural extension, local governance, peacebuilding, pastoralism, grazing rights, conflict resolution.Abstract
Farmer-herder conflicts remained a major threat to agricultural production, rural livelihoods and peaceful coexistence in Benue State, Nigeria. This study examined the roles of agricultural extension services and local governance in peacebuilding and the resolution of farmer-herder conflicts in Benue State. Specifically, it assessed the roles of agricultural extension services, examined the effectiveness of local governance institutions, and determined their influence on peacebuilding and sustainable conflict resolution. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and a multistage sampling procedure was used to select 266 respondents from Agatu, Guma and Logo Local Government Areas. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Results showed that agricultural extension services played a high role in conflict prevention and resolution, with a mean score of 3.86, while local governance institutions were perceived as effective, with a mean score of 3.73. Multiple regression revealed that agricultural extension services (β = 0.361; p < 0.001) and local governance mechanisms (β = 0.428; p < 0.001) significantly influenced peacebuilding and sustainable conflict resolution, jointly explaining 53.6% (R² = 0.536) of the variation in the outcome. The study concluded that integrating agricultural extension with responsive local governance could strengthen sustainable peacebuilding and farmer-herder conflict resolution in Benue State. The study was limited by its coverage of only three Local Government Areas, which could constrain the generalizability of the findings to the entire state.
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