The 2017 Benue State Anti-Open Grazing Law and Its Impact on Farmer-Herder Relations: Findings from a Desk-Based Analysis

Abstract

The 2017 enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria, was a decisive policy effort to stem the recurrent conflicts between sedentary farmers and nomadic herders. Aimed at banning open grazing and promoting ranching as a sustainable alternative, the law sought to safeguard farmlands, reduce communal violence, and modernize livestock production. This study employs a qualitative, desk-based approach grounded in Conflict Transformation Theory and the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. Drawing on legislative texts, academic literature, conflict-monitoring data, and investigative reports, this study critically examines the broader impacts of the law on rural security, intergroup relations, and institutional governance. Findings indicate that while the law led to a decline in open grazing and reduced immediate threats to farming communities, it also produced adverse consequences. These include the forced displacement of pastoralists into neighboring states, retaliatory violence, and the entrenchment of ethnic polarization. The exclusion of herders from policy formulation, combined with weak enforcement capacity and a lack of coordination between state and federal governments, further undermined the law’s implementation and legitimacy. The analysis contends that legal prohibition alone cannot resolve the deeply rooted structural and identity-based causes of the farmer-herder crisis. For sustainable peace and inclusive development, a more integrated approach is needed-one that combines participatory policymaking, investment in pastoral infrastructure, conflict-sensitive governance, and the transformation of intergroup relationships through dialogue and inclusive rural development strategies.