Impacts of Boko Haram Insurgency on Agricultural Activities in Gujba Local Government Area, Yobe State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study was conducted between the months of November-December 2018 to assess the impacts of Boko Haram insurgency on agricultural activities in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe state, Nigeria. Six towns namely Buni Yadi, Gujba, Goniri, Katarko, Mutai and Wagir formed the study locations. These towns were the major agricultural strongholds of the Local Government. The study considered impacts of the insurgency on farming after the return of residents to these towns after almost two years of exile in other places as a result of displacement by the militants’ activities (2016-2018). Descriptive Survey design involving mixed methods was used in which a total of 394 respondents participated. Closed-ended questionnaire and Structured Interview methods were the instruments of data collection. Results on the respondents’ demographic characteristics indicated that the majority of the people were married young men within the age group of 26-35 years. Bulk of them was crop farmers (40.1%) and those engaged in handy works such as carpentry and trading (31.2%). More than 50% of the respondents did not possess any formal western education. Results also indicated that, at first (2012-2016) Boko Haram insurgency had really had a toll on all normal human activities in the area including farming to the extent that crop and animal production virtually came to a standstill and many farmers went into exile for a period of two years (2014-2016). But with the restoration of relative peace in 2016 as a result of which many of the displaced people returned to these towns, agricultural activities especially crop production gradually picked up which led to a good bumper harvest in 2018. However, many returnees still depend on food aids being distributed by a number of Non-Governmental Organisations. Besides, crop trading has been found to have improved greatly. Unfortunately, impacts of the insurgency on livestock production are still felt across the Local Government Area as many livestock farmers have completely relocated to other places considered safer to graze their animals which led to a significant decrease in the number of animals especially cattle in these areas. Thus, it was concluded that, with decisive developmental projects and concrete insurgency combatting efforts, all agricultural activities can be fully revived in these areas and the recent threat to food security can be addressed. It was further recommended that governments at all level should be more proactive in combatting insurgency in these areas and beyond and provide the basic infrastructural requirements required by the people in order to encourage them to go back to farm so that agricultural activities can get back to track as usual.