The tensions between farmers and herders in Adamawa and Taraba states, located in North-East Nigeria, have been intensified by various factors such as desertification, climate change, and inadequate rainfall. Additionally, rapid population growth has led to increased demand for natural resources, including land suitable for both farming and transhumance activities. Consequently, this heightened competition for limited natural resources often escalates into conflicts, sometimes turning violent, between farming and herding communities.
To address this issue, the Transhumance Tracking Tool (TTT), which is part of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), was implemented with the help of community key informants across nine selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa and Taraba states.
Nigeria — Transhumance Tracking Tool Report — Early Warning Dashboard 20 (December 2023)
[blockquote align=”left” author=”Penci Design” style=”font-size: 30px”]To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it?[/blockquote]
In December 2023, a total of 246 alerts were reported, comprising 211 events (86%) and 35 movements (14%). These alerts included 155 (63%) reports from Adamawa state and 91 (37%) from Taraba state. The reported event alerts covered various issues such as farmer-herder conflicts, inter and intra-community tensions, and disasters. On the other hand, movement alerts involved large-scale and early movements of people.
Among the LGAs, Zing LGA in Taraba state and Lamurde LGA in Adamawa state had the highest number of alerts, accounting for 22% and 20% respectively. Following closely were Lau (15%), Demsa (12%), Mayo-belwa (9%), Numan (7%), Girei (7%), Guyuk (5%), and Shelleng (3%). Ward-level data showed that Kodomti in Numan LGA and Waduku ward in Lamurde LGA of Adamawa state reported the highest number of alerts at 8% and 7% respectively. Monkin in Zing LGA of Taraba state and Lamurde ward in Lamurde LGA in Adamawa state each accounted for 5% of event alerts.
