Social transitions in the Savannah

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore social risk management strategies amongst Fulani in the subhumid zone of Nigeria; and second, to determine current status and nature of reciprocal exchange networks, risk pooling and social support for pastoral livelihoods in North-Central Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Surveys of cattle productivity and pastoral livelihoods were carried out amongst Fulani pastoralists on the Jos Plateau: between 2008 and 2013 using participatory epidemiology methods and the sustainable livelihoods framework. Qualitative and quantitative data on livelihood activities, knowledge, attitudes and practices of animal husbandry and disease control, wealth grouping, herd entries and exits was gathered to determine the current state of cattle productivity and pastoral livelihoods in the study area. Findings Results show that reciprocal exchange networks for risk management have mostly disintegrated and patron-client relationships have become an important social risk management strategy. Practical implications This research has significant implications for sustainability of Fulani livelihoods and communities: decreased social risk-management strategies and increased self-reliance means that the most vulnerable households will find it more difficult to withstand shocks and climb out of poverty. Wealthier households may cope better with high incidence/low severity shocks like but are more vulnerable to low incidence/high severity shocks. Likewise, decreased social cohesion reduces the ability of communities to mobilise and act collectively in the face of community-level shocks. This is very important for engagement with the state – a crucial process, given current levels of acrimony and conflict. Originality/value Given the high levels of farmer-herder conflict and civil unrest in this region over the past 15 years this research is valuable in providing insights into economic drivers of conflict, current dynamics of pastoral livelihoods and social cohesion within and between communities.

An enabler framework for developing knowledge management practices: Perspectives from Nigeria

“…The study is also limited as it focuses only on palm oil extraction, examining indigenous knowledge and contemporary KM practices of the palm oil extraction process (Lawal et al 2020). Future studies could explore KM in the oil and gas sector, one of Nigeria's most significant export and source of revenue (Majekodunmi 2018). Lastly, the data collected in this study is limited to Ologbo in Edo state Nigeria; hence the findings may only apply to some countries especially developed countries' economies.…”

Transhumance pastoralism in West Africa – its importance, policies and challenges

“…These efforts embrace several topics: Malthusian and neo-Malthusian theories of human population growth and increasing scarcity of natural resources; scarcity caused by climate change; political ecology that attributes conflict to the distribution, management and control of natural resources rather than to scarcity; the 'resource curse' approach which considers that an abundance and not a scarcity of natural resources leads to conflict (Mehlum et al 2006). Herder-farmer conflicts have also been examined using psychosocial theories on frustration, aggression and relative deprivation, and through the perspective of security, peace and conflict resolution (Majekodunmi 2018). The general trend with all these approaches has been a progression from a narrow determinist focus to a wider constructivist or post-structuralist view.…”