Speakers - AFHWC2025

Abstract

The Central regions of Nigeria, widely regarded as the Nigeria’s food basket, is increasingly afflicted by natural resource-based conflicts that have critically disrupted agricultural production and food systems. Conflicts over land, water, and grazing rights have severely undermined food security and exacerbated social divisions between farmers and herders. Between 2020 and 2025, displacement in Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau States surged from 303,844 to 1,302,443, disproportionately impacting women and children and resulting in economic losses estimated at $150–$200 billion (UNDP, 2024). These statistics and findings highlight the urgent need for effective conflict resolution mechanisms, sustainable natural resource management practices, and policies that address the root causes of these conflicts. This study examines the potential of gender-inclusive agro-innovations to mitigate the multifaceted food insecurity challenges in this conflict-affected region.

Utilizing a mixed-methods approach—including participatory rural appraisals, policy analysis, and semi-structured interviews with displaced farmers, women’s cooperatives, and local agricultural stakeholders—the research underscores the pivotal yet underrecognized contributions of women and youth in fostering grassroots agricultural innovations. It evaluates scalable interventions such as mobile-based market access platforms, regenerative agricultural practices, gender-sensitive early warning systems, and conflict-resilient cooperative farming models. These strategies demonstrate significant potential to restore disrupted food value chains, enhance livelihoods, and rebuild communal cohesion.

The paper contends that achieving sustainable food security in the Central Region of Nigeria necessitates a paradigmatic shift from traditional aid paradigms toward gender-sensitive, conflict-aware innovation ecosystems. Policy recommendations are proposed for government bodies, NGOs, and development partners committed to advancing inclusive and sustainable agricultural resilience in fragile food systems.

Keywords: Central Region, Nigeria, Food security, Natural resource-based conflicts, Agricultural production, Food systems, Gender-inclusive, Agro-innovations, Conflict-affected region, Sustainable agriculture, Innovation ecosystems, Food value chains, Communal cohesion.