Effect of banditry on the livelihood of maize farmers in Katsina State

In recent years, Nigeria witnessed a spate of bandit attacks which affected the livelihood and agricultural productivity of farmers. This research assessed the effect of armed banditry on the livelihood of maize farmers in Katsina state. The study employed a cross sectional design and multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 196 maize farmers. Statistical tools used for the study were mean, frequency, percentages and t-test. The mean age of the farmers was 37years, majority (88.8%) were male while 11.2% werefemales, 87.8% were married, and their mean farm size was 2.45hectares. Their mean farming experience was 14years and 90% had farming as their major occupation. The findings unveiled the effect of banditry in the study area. Employing a 5-point Likert scale, challenges encountered by farmers were displacement of settlements, with mean score of 4.55, psychological toll inflicted by banditry, with a score of 4.41. Also, the disruption of economic activities, scarcity of basic amenities, and limited provision of social services which ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. Furthermore, the research employed T-test results to analyse the disparities in income and yield before and after the onset of banditry. Income witnessed a significant decline from a mean of N529,180.68 to N372,757.08 yield, too, experienced a substantial reduction, dropping from 6,751.5kg to 3,069kg in the aftermath of banditry. The findings revealed that banditry affected the livelihood of maize farmers, hence, recommends that government should enhance the security of farmers, provide psycho social and financial support, and provide social support programmes to boost their livelihood.