As Nigeria grapples with a deepening food insecurity, a new report by SBM Intelligence, a research firm, highlights a stark reality — the nation’s agricultural resilience is being eroded not just by climate change but by persistent conflict that has turned fertile fields into battlegrounds.
The intersection of environmental shocks and human insecurity has left millions food-insecure and driven up prices, threatening the economic and social stability of Africa’s most populous country.
Floods—hallmark of climate emergency—have devastated farmlands in states from Niger to Plateau, while unpredictable rainfall and rising temperatures disrupt planting and harvest cycles.
Yet, it is the surge in violent conflict—farmer-herder clashes, bandit raids, and insurgent attacks—that has forced the abandonment of agricultural lands, destroyed crops, and displaced farming communities.
In Benue, Nigeria’s food basket state, food production has plummeted as families flee violence, and entire communities are forced into internally displaced persons camps.
According to data from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, over 5000 people have lost their lives in Benue between 2023 and 2025.
Read also: Benue governor blames ‘armed herders without cattle’ for deadly attacks
In the wake of recent attacks by herdsmen in Benue, the SBM says a conflict resolution model is needed to tackle this dire situation across the country.
Here is a conflict resolution model that, according to the SBM, can tackle the growing killing spree occurring in not only Benue State but across several food-producing crops in the country.
Urgently implement land reforms
Attempts at policy solutions, including the National Livestock Transformation Plan and anti-open grazing laws, have faltered due to poor implementation and lack of political will.
But the SBM insists that establishing clear and equitable guidelines for grazing rights and land ownership, as well as providing robust legal frameworks for resource access and impartial dispute resolution, is a possible solution to the ongoing farmers-herders clashes.
Enact robust arms control measures
The report calls for intensifying efforts to disarm non-state actors and control the proliferation of sophisticated weaponry, strengthening the state’s monopoly on force.
Foster depoliticised dialogue and reconciliation
The SBM notes that it is time for the government to support and facilitate genuine, impartial dialogue and peacebuilding mechanisms at local, state, and federal levels to rebuild trust and foster peaceful coexistence between farming and pastoralist communities.
“To address this multifaceted crisis and avert further national instability, a coordinated, multi-faceted approach is urgently required,” the report says.
Prioritise prosecution of perpetrators
The research firm says to cut back on the killings, the federal government must ensure that perpetrators of violence, regardless of their background, are swiftly and impartially prosecuted to end impunity and restore public confidence in the justice systems.
