Effects of Communal Conflicts on Household Food Security in Toto Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined communal conflicts and household food security in Toto Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used, with data collected via a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews from 384 households and 12 key informants. Food security was assessed using the Food Consumption Score, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, and the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke (FGT) index; descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression were used for analysis. About 72.4% of households had experienced at least one conflict incident in the previous three years, most commonly farmer–herder conflict (52.3%), followed by land disputes (25.5%) and ethnic clashes (22.1%). Farmland loss, displacement, market disruption, livestock loss, and destruction of stored food were all significantly more prevalent among conflict-affected households (p < .001). The FGT index showed that 68.2% of conflict-affected households were food insecure, compared with 34.1% of non-affected households, with severe food insecurity 4.6 times higher among affected households. Logistic regression indicated that conflict exposure was associated with 3.80 times higher odds of household food insecurity (OR = 3.80). Communal conflict undermined all four pillars of food security in Toto LGA through asset destruction, market disruption, displacement, and loss of social capital. The study recommends community peacebuilding, peace-sensitive agricultural policy, targeted social protection, seasonal farm-area security, and livelihood recovery in conflict-prone areas.