1Usman Abdu Awatai, 2Joseph Mamman Ibbih PhD, Ibrahim Gerald Umar PhD
ABSTRACT
Communal conflict has manifested itself as the most pandemic issue next to ethno-religious conflict in Nigeria with ownership, access to and use of land as the driver of the conflict. This study provides an analysis of rural livelihood activities using the ‘household’ as the core unit of inquiry. this research evaluate the activities which rural people in the study area undertake to generate diverse income as a result of the problems they encounter, such as communal conflicts and what influences their decision making as they attempt to construct a living out of poverty, and to find the relationship between communal conflict and livelihood diversification in Bokkos LGA of Plateau State, Nigeria, the targeted population are the 8 districts in Bokkos LGA and the sample size was calculated to be 400 households, we use simple random sampling to select our target respondents. The methodology adopted is survey research using multinomial probit model (MNPM) to analyze our data. The result shows that occurrences of communal conflict (OCC) with parameter estimates of 0.003, Highest level of education of household head (HLEH) with parameter estimate of 0.01. Land size farm by households (SL) has 0.007 coefficient, Access to farm extension services(AFES) had estimated parameter of 0.03 and gender (GEN) with parameter estimated of 0.006 they all has positive marginal effect on choice of livelihood diversification in Bokkos LGA. while, Access to market during or after communal conflict (AMDCC with estimated coefficient of -0.020, Household access to credit facilities during or after communal conflict (ACDCC) has a – 0.007 estimated parameter and household head age (AG) with estimated coefficient of -0.023 they had a negative marginal effect on livelihood diversification. Major recommendations are as follows: i. Establishing a local peace committee that includes representatives from different community groups to facilitate dialogue and mediate disputes before they escalate. ii. Creating a community-based monitoring system to identify early warning signs of conflict and initiate preventive measures. iii. Implementing economic support programs that provide microcredits and grants to affected households, enabling them to diversify their livelihoods without relying on high-interest loans. iv. Developing infrastructure rehabilitation projects that focus on restoring and improving market access and transportation links disrupted by conflict. v. Offering vocational training and skill development workshops to increase employment opportunities, particularly for youth and displaced individuals.vi. Reinforcing the agricultural sector by providing access to farm extension services, quality seeds, and fertilizers to enhance productivity and ensure food security. vii. Investing in the reconstruction and protection of educational facilities, as well as implementing catch-up education programs for children and adults who have missed schooling. viii. Promoting land reform policies that ensure fair distribution and secure land tenure, reducing the risk of land-related conflicts. Encouraging investment in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms that are culturally sensitive and accessible to all community members.
Keywords: Communal conflict, Livelihood, Livelihood Diversification and Bokkos LGA