International Congress In Turkey

Abstract

Climate change and rural insecurity have become major threats to agricultural production and food security in Nigeria. While climate variability has historically affected farming and pastoral livelihoods, the increasing frequency of droughts, floods, irregular rainfall, rising temperatures and land degradation has intensified pressure on land, water and other productive resources. At the same time, the expansion of armed banditry, particularly across parts of North-Western and North-Central Nigeria, has disrupted farming activities, displaced rural populations, restricted access to agricultural land and weakened local food systems. This paper examines the interconnected relationship between climate change, banditry and food security in Nigeria, focusing on how environmental stress and rural insecurity reinforce agricultural vulnerability. The study adopted a qualitative research design and relied exclusively on secondary data obtained from peer-reviewed journal articles, books, government publications, reports of international organisations, policy documents and credible institutional sources. The data were analysed thematically through documentary analysis. The paper argues that climate change should not be treated as a direct or automatic cause of banditry. Rather, climate-related stress interacts with poverty, competition over land and water, weak governance, insecure land tenure, unemployment, population pressure and the proliferation of small arms to create conditions that may facilitate rural violence and criminality. Banditry subsequently compounds the effects of climate change by forcing farmers away from their fields, destroying agricultural assets, disrupting markets, increasing production and transportation costs and reducing household purchasing power. The resulting decline in agricultural production contributes to food shortages, rising food prices and increased household food insecurity. The paper recommends an integrated policy framework combining climate adaptation, rural security, sustainable land and water management, agricultural investment, early-warning mechanisms, livelihood diversification and stronger local governance. Such an approach is necessary to break the reinforcing cycle between environmental vulnerability, rural insecurity and food insecurity in Nigeria.