In Nigeria’s rural heartlands, where farming once followed the rhythm of seasons and tradition, a different force is now shaping what ends up on the nation’s plates, terrorism, banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, religious genocide, etc.
Agriculture remains the backbone of livelihoods across much of Africa, sustaining over 70% of rural households. In Nigeria, it is more than an economic activity, it is an identity, stability and survival. But as terrorism, religious genocide, ethnic conflicts and farmer–herder clashes intensify, the country’s food system is quietly being rewritten off.
Recent research by agricultural economists tracking household data from 2012 to 2025, reveals a stark reality that insecurity is not only displacing farmers, it is reshaping their decisions, what they plant, how much land they cultivate and whether they invest into farming at all. Peasant farming under threat.
Across conflict-affected regions, farmers are retreating. Fields that was once planted with staples such as yam, cassava, maize and groundnut are being abandoned or downsized. Labour-intensive crops like sweet potato are disappearing fastest, as fear makes long growing cycles too risky. Instead of expanding production, many farmers now limit themselves to smaller, safer plots closer to home. The result is a steady contraction in cultivated land, and inevitably less food.
This is not just about destroyed crops or stolen livestock. Terrorism attacks is altering behaviour. Faced with uncertainty, farmers are cutting back on fertiliser, hired labour and other inputs. Investment into farming that is critical for productivity, is becoming a gamble few can afford. Powering a wasting hidden-cost to livelihoods.
With respect to most or rural households, the implications are surmountingly instantaneous and severe. Reduced harvests mean declining incomes, higher vulnerability to poverty, less produce for the general markets, food shortages and less opportunities to invest in the next planting season. Farming, which was once a pathway to stability, is becoming a high-risk survival strategy. This situation defies the sentiment of gender-farmers profiling, as women and men experience these pressures in similar-difference. They both face rising production costs, often due to reliance on scarce or expensive labour during periods of insecurity. And in the long run, this erodes the economic foundation of entire communities.
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