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| Insecurity and Food Crisis in Nigeria: A Study of Ayamelum Local Government Area, Anambra State |
Nwagbala Stella Chinelo,Uzodike Ngozi,Anizoba Adaeze Shalom
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Abstract:
Insecurity is the word used to describe the activities of the men of the underworld, the terrorists which in Nigeria, goes by different names such as: insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, Fulani killer herdsmen, etc. It would appear that the activities of the mentioned groups have overwhelmed the country on many fronts, including the area of food production. Nigeria have started re-thinking agriculture as a viable option for complementing revenue earnings from the oil and gas sector of the economy but insecurity seems to be the major clog in the wheel of progress in this regard, especially when we consider the effect of the activities of bandits, insurgents and Fulani killer herdsmen on small holder-farmers across the nation. These developments have deleterious effects on agricultural activities in general, food production and sustainable human development in particular. While there are policies and agencies in the state to combat these developments, it appears they have proved ineffective in the face of increasing inconsistency in government policies, security problem, open grazing, climate change and global warming. Precisely, the study examined the effect of insecurity on food production in Nigeria, using Ayamelum Local Government Area, Anambra state, Nigeria, the food basket of Anambra State, as the study area. The design of the study is descriptive research survey. The eight communities in the LGA were involved in the study and the target population was the small holder-farmers selected conveniently across the communities. Chi-Square (?2) test of independence was used as the main statistical tool of analysis. The findings revealed that insecurity in form of herders attack on farming communities has significant negative effect on food production in the country. The study concludes that the attack on farmers by the Fulani killer herdsmen is responsible for the rise in prices of agricultural products in the market as farmers have to resort to the hiring of private security operatives to attend to their farming activities throughout the farming season. It was recommended among others that the government should urgently consider the option of ranching as the alternative to open grazing as it is practiced in other civilized societies across the globe.
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