Abstract
This research delved into socio-economic effects of farmers-herders clash on crop farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive research design, combining primary data collected through questionnaires, interviews, and field observations, along with secondary data from relevant literature. A sample size of 200 respondents, comprising both crop farmers and herders, were selected from eight Local Government Areas that were most affected by the conflicts. The findings revealed that the most significant causes of farmers-headers clash were competition for land resources (mean = 3.38), ethno-religious tensions (mean = 3.22), and political instigation (mean = 2.91). Also, the mean score of 3.265 indicates that a large proportion of the farmers had experienced direct clashes with herders, the mean score of 2.855 indicates that the clashes had some significant negative impact on crop yield, the mean score of 2.810 indicates that a large proportion of the farmers had experienced loss of crops due to the clashes, the mean score of 2.975 indicates that a significant number of the farmers have been forced to abandon their farmlands due to the clashes, among others. The results of the regression analysis indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between the farmers-headers clash (FHC) and the socio-economic activities of crop farmers (SACF) in Nasarawa state. The R-squared value of 0.638 indicates that the model explains 63.8% of the variation in the dependent variable (SACF). This is a relatively strong relationship. The Durbin-Watson statistic of 1.740 is within the acceptable range of 1.5 to 2.5, which indicates that there is no autocorrelation in the residuals. The highest mean score of 3.10 is for the statement “Creation of grazing reserves should be implemented”. This suggests that the respondents believe that this is an important measure to mitigate the negative socio-economic effects of the farmerherder clash. The recommendations aimed to address the underlying causes of the clashes, promote stability, and foster sustainable development in the region.