Land use conflicts: An impediment to improved agrifood value chain management as perceived by crop farmers in southeast Nigeria
Paper Details
Land use conflicts: An impediment to improved agrifood value chain management as perceived by crop farmers in southeast Nigeria
Abstract
This research work examined the effects of land use conflicts on agrifood value chain management in South-East, Nigeria. A total of 300 farmers were purposively selected from conflict-affected communities in South-east Nigeria. A questionnaire was used in collecting data, and analysis of the data was done using percentages, means, and standard deviation. Results showed that the agrifood value chain enterprises include the following: input supply (63%), producers (93.3%), distribution (52.32%), retailers (80%), service providers (58%), and consumers (86.6%). Land conflicts affect the various value chain stages by reducing food availability (M= 3.42), increasingthe cost of input (M=3.52), reducing input quality (M= 3.05), leading to lower yields (M=3.28), leading to soil degradation (M= 2.58), and increasing crop losses (M=3.46) in the production stage. In the harvesting /processing or packaging stage, conflict makes harvesting difficult (M= 3.03), leads to post- harvest losses (M=3.56), disrupts supply chain (M= 3.10), delay in supply to market (M=3.15), reduce market access (M= 3.19), increase price of goods (M=3.31), leads to food shortages (M=2.68), loss of income (M= 2.87) for marketing and distribution.On the consumption stage, conflicts affect food availability (M= 2.83), lower food demand (M= 2.64), leading to depletion of food stock (M= 2.58), disruption of the whole production circle (M=2.94).The challenges facing the farmers included climate change variability, market volatility, and poor infrastructure, among others. To reduce land conflicts in the area, the following were suggested: strengthen the land tenure system, careful land use planning, and conflict resolution, among others.
Adisa RS. 2011a. Management of farmer–herdsmen conflict in North-Central Nigeria: implications for collaboration between agricultural extension service and other stakeholders. Journal of International Agricultural Education and Extension 18(1), 72.
Adisa RS. 2011b. Patterns of conflict and socio-psychological coping strategies among natural resource user-groups in tourism communities of the Nigerian savannah. Journal of Tourism and Peace Research 1(3), 1–15.
Adisa SA. 2012. Land use conflict between farmers and herdsmen: implications for agricultural and rural development in Nigeria. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224830400
Ajayi AR, Allagenyi LD. 2001. Organizational factors in sustainable extension service delivery in Nigeria: the effects of job-related stress on organization involvement and quality of family-life of extension agents of Benue State Agricultural Development Programme. Journal of Agricultural Extension 5, 9–21.
Ajuwon SS. 2004. Case study: conflict in fadama communities. In: Managing conflict in community development, Session 5, Community Driven Development.
Bosch A. 2003. Older people in disaster: A comparison of black and white victims. International Journal of Aging and Human Development 26, 29–43.
Central Bank of Nigeria. 2005. Annual reports and statement of accounts. Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
Coelho AEL. 2000. Psychological response to drought in Northwestern Brazil: an exploratory study. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
Daniels AM. 2006. Farming, ranching and stress: it’s a family issue. Extension Extra, ExEx 14058. South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension, 1–4.
Dietz AJ, Ruben R, Verhagen A. 2001. Impacts of climate change on drylands with a focus on West Africa. Dutch National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change, Report No. 410200076, Wageningen.
Fasona MJ, Omojola AS. 2005. Climate change, human security and communal clashes in Nigeria. Paper presented at the International Workshop on Human Security and Climate Change, Holmen Fjord Hotel, Oslo, 21–23 October 2005.
Fayinka FA. 2004. Food security in Nigeria: challenges under democratic dispensation. Paper presented at the 9th ARMTI Annual Lecture, March 24, 2004.
Fiki C, Lee B. 2004. Conflict generation, conflict management and self-organizing capabilities in drought-prone rural communities in North-eastern Nigeria: a case study. Journal of Social Development in Africa 19(2), 25–48.
Food and Agriculture Organization. 2017. The future of food and agriculture: trends and challenges. https://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e
Gefu JO, Kolawole A. 2002. Conflict in common property resource use: experiences from an irrigation project. Paper prepared for the 9th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Indiana. https://dlib.indiana.edu/archive/00000823/00/gefuj080502.pdf
HLPE. 2014. Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, Rome. https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/hlpe/hlpe_documents/HLPE_2014_Food_Losses_and_Waste_Summary_EN.pdf
Iro I. 1994. The Fulani herding system. African Development Foundation, Washington.
Johnson DW, Johnson FP. 2000. Joining together: group theory and group skills. 7th edition. Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
Lambrou Y, Laub R. 2006. Gender, local knowledge, and lessons learnt in documenting and conserving agrobiodiversity. WIDER Research Paper RP2006/69, UNU-WIDER, Helsinki.
Nyong A, Fiki C. 2005. Drought-related conflicts, management and resolution in the West African Sahel. Human Security and Climate Change International Workshop, Oslo.
Ortega ST, Johnson DR, Beeson PG, Craft BJ. 1994. The farm crisis and mental health: A longitudinal study of the 1980s. Rural Sociology 59, 598–619.
PwC. 2013. Understanding the Brazil agribusiness: what are the drivers, the issues and the perspectives. https://www.pwc.com.br/pt/publicacoes/setores-atividade/assets/agribusiness/2013/pwc-agribusiness-brazil-overview-13.pdf
Santana CA, Nascimento JR. 2012. Public policies and agricultural investment in Brazil. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/tci/pdf/InvestmentPolicy/Inv_in_Br_agriculture_-_20_08_2012.pdf
Tarhule A, Lamb PJ. 2003. Climate research and seasonal forecasting for West Africans: perceptions, dissemination, and use. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 84, 1741–1759.
Ugochukwu H. 2019. The agricultural value chain, challenges and digital opportunities in Nigeria. https://theamateurpolymath.com/2020/06/24/the-agricultural-value-chain-challenges-and-opportunities-in-nigeria/
World Health Organization. 2016. Micronutrient deficiencies. World Health Organization, Geneva. www.who.int/nutrition/topics/ida/en/
J. U. Chikaire, C. C. Ejiogu, H. I. Duruanyim, T. O. Ogbuji, S. I. Ogbaa, A. O. Kalu, J. I. Ukpabi, A. Rufai, L. C. Izunobi, J. U. Okwudili, C. I. Anah, E. U. Omeire, I. O. Okeoma, J. Nnametu, U. G. Chris-Ejiogu, I. E. Edom, C. N. Atoma, U. S. Awhareno, E. C. Mube-Williams, S. O. Adejoh, A. D. Ude, J. O. Oparaojiaku, C. O. Osuagwu, E. E. Ihem, B. N. Aririguzo, E. C. C. Amaechi, M. N. Osuji, C. A. Acholonu, 2026. Land use conflicts: An impediment to improved agrifood value chain management as perceived by crop farmers in southeast Nigeria. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 28(1), 102-113.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.