Dissection of Hazardous Climate and Farmer-herder Conflicts in Nigeria

Dissection of Hazardous Climate and Farmer-herder Conflicts

Abstract

This study analyses the impacts of hazardous climate on Nigeria’s farmer-herder conflicts. Using variables -
temperature, droughts, and rainfall – this paper dissects hazardous climate on the conflicts in terms of duration, 
incidents, and deaths. Relying on data from Nigerian Security Tracker, Nigeria Watch, World Bank’s Climate Portal, 
Climate.org, and the Federal Ministry of Environment, from 2014 to 2019, this study analyses the temporal and 
spatial dimensions of the conflicts using regression - a statistical technique used to examine the correlations 
between two or more variables having cause-effect relations which also have predictive abilities. This study found 
evidence that temperature, rainfall, and droughts are climatic factors that influence the farmer-herder conflicts in 
Nigeria. In addition, the study found some seasonal and spatial patterns with North Central region of the country 
being the hard-hit.