Factors influencing migrations and settlement among pastoralists in Kaduna state, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the factors influencing migration and settlement of pastoralists in Kaduna State, Nigeria focusing on Ladduga Grazing Reserve and Kwanan Dutse a pastoralist village both located in Kachia Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State Nigeria. Purposive and randomised sampling techniques were used to select participants inside the grazing reserve; while a purposive and exponential snowballing sampling technique used to gather data outside the grazing reserve (KwananDutse), resulting in a sample size of 116 and 57 respectively. This study is based on choice model which gives a data-driven nuanced understanding of factors that influence pastoralist’s decision making and utility as they choose between settling in grazing reserves or traditional pastoralism. Thereafter, the study employed close-ended questionnaires to collect the data and analysed using binary logistic regression model. The findings show that pasture and water, livestock pests and diseases and conflict were the key drivers of migration (permanent and temporary) both inside and outside reserve. Specifically, herders with access to pasture and water had 26.7% and 13.2 % higher odds of permanent migration both inside and outside reserve compared to those without access, respectively. Likewise, herders who experienced livestock pests and diseases had 21.7% higher odds of migration inside the reserve and 1.1% higher odds outside the reserve compared to those without pest and diseases. In the same manner, herders who experience conflict had 44% and 14.2% higher odd of permanent migration both inside and outside reserve compared to those who do not experience, respectively. On the other hand, alternative market emerges as a non-significant factor both inside (odd ratio=0.196, p=0.131) and outside (odd ratio=0.316, p=0.524) reserve, possibly due to availability of local markets and informal value chains.