Impact of Armed Banditry on Agricultural Livelihood and Family Income in Border Communities in Katsina State

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of armed banditry on agricultural livelihoods and family income among border communities along the Nigeria–Niger Republic corridors in Katsina State, using a mixed-method approach. The study had a population of 930,900 drawn from Jibia, Batsari and Safana Local Government Areas. A sample of 384 respondents was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) method, while purposive sampling was used to select farmers affected by armed banditry and internally displaced persons. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and a Key Informant Interview (KII) guide. Quantitative data were
analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 27, employing frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation and multiple regression, while qualitative data were analysed using thematic and content analyses. The findings revealed that armed banditry had directly weakened agricultural livelihoods and family income through restricted access to farmlands, destruction of crops, livestock rustling, disruption of local markets and widespread displacement of farming households. The study also tested the hypothesis that armed banditry has no significant impact on agricultural livelihoods and family income among border communities in Katsina State. The regression analysis provided empirical evidence for determining whether the observed effects of armed banditry on agricultural livelihoods and family income were statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that persistent insecurity had undermined agricultural production and household economic wellbeing within the affected border communities. The study recommended that governments at all levels should prioritise the protection of villages, farms and other agricultural areas to enable farmers to safely return to their farms and resume agricultural production.