Social Inclusivity and Trust-Building as Prospective Factors in Managing Farmers-Herders Conflicts in Southwest, Nigeria

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/10/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 5 (2026)

Article No.

047

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-CI7P3DIX

Received

20 Sep 2026

Views

22

Downloads

14

Abstract

The study examined “social inclusivity and trust-building as prospective factors in managing farmers-herders’ conflict in southwest, Nigeria”. This became imperative due to the incessant crisis between the farmers and the herders that have brought about loss of lives, destruction of properties, loss of cows and destruction of farmlands, among others, where previous conflict management strategies have failed to yield any positive result in combating the crisis. The study specifically examined the prospect of social inclusivity on reconciliation in managing farmers/herders’ conflicts and analyze the prospect of trust-building on negotiation towards managing the conflict between the farmers and herders. The study adopted field survey research design for a total population of twenty-four thousand and eight hundred (24,800). Taro Yemane formular was employed to determine the sample size of 300 respondents. Out of the 300 copies of questionnaire administered, 254 were retrieved. The result of the data analyzes revealed that that the correlation co-efficient of the social inclusivity and trust building showed positive co-efficient values of 0.911 and 0.868 respectively and the hypothesis I showed F-test value 1225.2, with p-values of 0.000, hypothesis II showed F-test value 767.3, p-values 0.000, hypothesis. The implication of this is that there is a significant positive relationship between the dependent (reconciliation and negotiation) and the independent (social inclusivity and trust-building) variables in managing the conflicts between the herders and farmers in southwest Nigeria. The study concluded that social inclusivity and trust-building have positive and significant prospect in putting an end to the conflicts between the farmers and the herders in southwest, Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others; that community leaders, government agencies, and relevant stakeholders should institutionalize inclusive reconciliation frameworks that actively involve both farmers and herders in decision-making processes. Also, openness and honesty with the people during negotiation will reduce conflicts, and display of trust and sincerity by the parties towards search for common ground during negotiation will end conflicts.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.