Volume 1 (Issue 2) 2021 Article 3

ABSTRACT:

This study examined the causes of farmers’/pastoralist crisis and food security in Southern Taraba State. Amulti-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 180 respondents. Primary data were collected using a pre-tested and structured (Likert scale type) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Logit regression model were employed in data analysis. Result shows that majority of the respondents (36%) were within the age of 31-40 years. Also, 43% of the respondents had household size of between 11 and 20 people. The results further revealed that majority of the respondents (29%) had between 30 and 40 years of farming experience while 56% of them had no formal education. Factors influencing the crisis in the study area discovered by research include low educational level (43%), large household size (21%), grazing on farmers’ crops (39%) and farming on cattle/grazing routes (29%). The result of the Logit Regression shows that MacFadden (R2) was 0.87 implying that about 87% of the respondent’s experienced crisis. It also indicates that hash climate, grazing on farmers’ crops, farming on grazing routes; desertification and farm size had influenced farmers’/pastoralist crisis in the study area leading to negative effects on food security. In order to minimize farmers’/pastoralist crisis and improve the level of food security in the study area the study recommends implementation of modern pastoral/grazing systems in the area and the country generally by establishing ranches and grazing reserves in all states in Northern Nigeria where the pastoral/nomadic system is dominant, followed by appropriate compensation of losses to reduce impact of the crisis and resettlement of the farmers/pastoralist affected.