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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences - Vol. 10, No. 4
Publication Date: August 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/dafs.104.13878.
Sanchi, I. D., Saadu, U., Kaka, Y., & Muhammad, A. (2022). Magnitude of Effect of Rural Banditry on IFAD-CASP Participating Crop
Producers in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 10(4). 1-11.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Magnitude of Effect of Rural Banditry on IFAD-CASP
Participating Crop Producers in Zamfara State, Nigeria
Sanchi, I. D.
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension,
Federal University of Agriculture Zuru, Kebbi State, Nigeria
Saadu, U.
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension,
Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero
Kaka, Y.
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension,
Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero
Muhammad, A.
Department of Crop Science,
Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
The researched analyzed the extent/ magnitude of effects of rural banditry on IFAD- CASP participating crop producers in Zamfara state, Nigeria. Interview schedule
and focused group discussion (FGD) were used to collect data from 360 respondents
that were selected for the study. A multi stage and simple random sampling
technique was used in selecting the respondents. Descriptive statistical tools
(mean, percentages, frequency distribution and ranking) were used for data
analysis. The results of the study reveal that majority of the respondents were
married with an average household size of 8 persons and income level of less than
N 20,000/month. Most of the respondents (50%) indicate that the conflict is very
severe resulting to great economic, physical and social effects on the respondents.
Majority (70%) of the respondents’ perceived western agricultural zone of the
study location as intense conflict area. The results of ranking of effect of rural
banditry on IFAD-CASP in the study area, indicates poor participation, increased
rural poverty, poor supervision of programme, poor economic growth and poor
information dissemination were ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. Based
on the finding of the study, it could be concluded that rural banditry poses poor
economic growth, increased rural poverty, poor participation, and poor
programme implementation and induces fear and uncertainty. The study therefore,
recommend that urgent recruitment of adequate security personnel to patrol the
porous borders, prompt enrollment of the vulnerable into government social
investment programmes, organize training/seminars for peace building purpose.
Keywords: Magnitude, Effects, Rural Banditry, IFAD-CASP Participating Crop Producers,
Zamfara State.
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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences (DAFS) Vol 10, Issue 4, August- 2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
Rural banditry has become a widespread social phenomenon that is fast ravaging several
societies of the world. In most cases rural banditry is usually the decision of individual centrally
organized parties geared to engage in open armed clashes in disputes about power over
government and territory and such conflicts are caused by several factors (Mustapha, 2019).
Among the factor include is insincerity on the part of one or the parties that were involved, is
the disappointment from either of the parties that were involved, is internal disagreement
(Musa, 2016), is inability to address the root cause of a long-standing conflict, is the
proliferation of weapons and arms, that causes armed conflict, according to Murtala (2018) is
the ethnic factor. According to Mueller (2000) rural banditry can only be made possible when
weapons are made available to fight, thereby inflicting injuries and sometime death of
individuals. Similarly mischievous individuals take advantage of it to cause disturbance in order
to achieve their interest (Mueller, 2000).
According to Babatunde (2016), rural banditry is fast becoming popular in developing
countries than in developed ones. It is also fast becoming an integral part of the activities in
most developing nations like Nigeria. Earlier researchers (Magnus ,2018) have shown that the
aftermath of armed conflicts in society has been consistently negative, for instance, it increases
the rate of poverty, resulting to an increase in the number of internal displacement of several
persons, causes outbreak of diseases, reduce food security and stunt impediment in economic
growth.
Just like other developing nations, Nigeria has in the last five decades, experienced various
forms of armed conflict, most notably after independence (1960). It has occurred in almost all
the six geopolitical zones of the country. Even though the incidences do not cut across every
state in each geographical zones, yet almost all the states have suffered from its negative
consequences either directly or indirectly (Mueller, 2000). Thus, the consequences of rural
banditry on the Nigerian society are negative and endless because besides affecting almost all
the states of the federation it also affected virtually every other area in the state where it
occurred. For instance, in Zamfara, it has led to massive loss of lives and properties and caused
disease and disabilities. It has also increased the numbers of widows, widowers and orphans.
It has raised up the rate of depression, trauma, mental retardation, suicide and environmental
destruction with dire consequences for agricultural production and food shortages (Ladan,
2016).
The conflict has accounted for the severe food crisis and insecurity in several parts of Zamfara
state. Similarly, several agricultural lands have equally been destroyed. It has also accounted
for environmental changes, degradation of agricultural soil, erosion of the genetic base of
agricultural biodiversity, water scarcity, poor governance, growing demand and changes in
consumption patterns, uncontrolled deforestation, export-oriented agricultural development
policies and political malfunctions (Kuna and Ibrahim, 2015).
In a bid to cushion the effects of hardship posed by conflict in the rural areas of Zamfara State,
the state government introduced various programmes such as amnesty. This programme is
aimed at relegating the effects of rural banditry on the people of Zamfara State. It was observed
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Sanchi, I. D., Saadu, U., Kaka, Y., & Muhammad, A. (2022). Magnitude of Effect of Rural Banditry on IFAD-CASP Participating Crop Producers in Zamfara
State, Nigeria. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 10(4). 1-11.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/dafs.104.13878
that similar strategy was adopted at the Niger Delta by the Federal Government of Nigeria
through the amnesty programme when the military force failed to deter the militants and bring
normalcy to the region (John, 2018) where people have been forced to device coping strategies
to ensure that they survive.
Before the occurrence of rural banditry in Zamfara state, the federal government introduced
International Fund for Agricultural Development-Climate Change Adaptation and Agribusiness
Support Programme as a strategy to efficiently combat hunger and poverty, in seven northern
Nigerian States Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno (Fatile and Adejunwo,
(2011). In these States, women and farmers with small farm holdings were the most vulnerable
group of people because they suffer from hunger and poverty. Since the incessant rural banditry
began in Zamfara State, the socio-economic status of these people has become extremely low
apparently caused by decreased participation in rural development programmes which by
implication pose a threat to the IFAD -CASP.
METHODOLOGY
Description of the Study Area
This study was conducted in Zamfara State, the capital of Zamfara State is Gusau. The state was
established in 1996 by the then military administration of the Late General Sani Abacha.
Zamfara State was carved out of Sokoto State. It comprises of fourteen (14) Local Government
Areas, with an area landmass of 38,418 sq. km. The state stretches between Latitude 10 21’ to
13 15’N and Longitude 60 20’E Fig 3.1 (Google maps, 2019). Zamfara Sate is bordered in the
North by Niger Republic, in the South by Kaduna State, in the East by Katsina State and in the
West by Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger States respectively, the state lies in the Sudan Savannah Agro
Ecological Zone of Nigeria and has a population of 4,515,400 according to annual projection of
1.5%.
Statistics have shown that more than 80% of the people living in Zamfara State engage in
various forms of agricultural activities ranging from crop production of millet, guinea corn,
maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, tobacco and beans to livestock and fish farming. The climate
exhibits a definite mark of wet and dry seasons. Tropical continental air mass predominates
during the dry season while harmattan last from December to February and wet season June to
mid-October. Rainfall distribution varies from 675mm to 1000mm with an average annual
temperature of between 26 and 30 degrees centigrade.
Fig 3.1: Map of Zamfara Sate Showing the Study Area.