Live-fencing mitigating farmer-herder conflicts inSouthern Kaduna.

In Southern Kaduna, recurring farmer–herder conflicts have long threatened food security, livelihoods, and community stability. Livestock encroachment on farmlands often leads to crop destruction, retaliatory violence, and deepening mistrust between farming and pastoral communities. Limited dialogue platforms and language barriers in mediation processes have further excluded key stakeholders—particularly herders—from meaningful participation in conflict resolution.

Through the SPRiNG Programme, the Christian Rural and Urban Development Association of Nigeria (CRUDAN) is addressing these challenges with an innovative, climate-conscious peacebuilding approach. The LiFeMiLE Project introduces live fencing—using native trees and shrubs—to create natural barriers that protect crops while promoting sustainable land use and biodiversity.

Intervention Highlights

The project was implemented in Kpunyai, Chenchuk, and Mifi Attakar communities in Zango Kataf LGA, Kaduna State, combining environmental solutions with inclusive dialogue and peacebuilding structures.

Farmers, youth leaders, and agricultural extension workers received hands-on training in live fencing propagation and maintenance. To strengthen engagement with pastoral communities, Fulfulde-speaking agricultural extension workers were involved in mobilisation and training, helping to bridge cultural and language barriers that had previously undermined trust.

In parallel, the initiative supported the creation of an Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system that brings together community leaders, youth, women, security actors, and herder representatives to monitor tensions and prevent escalation.

To institutionalise peacebuilding efforts, the project also facilitated the establishment of a Conflict and Peace Secretariat within Zango Kataf Local Government Area, creating a permanent platform for dialogue, coordination, and conflict prevention.

Key Achievements

• 65 community leaders trained in live fencing propagation and maintenance

• 10 Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) equipped to support sustainable farming practices

• 5,800 farms mapped and geo-referenced with live fencing systems

• No further crop losses reported among communities that adopted live fencing

• Four volatile conflict situations prevented from escalating into violence

• Eight herder representatives integrated into community peace ambassador structures

• Nine community drama sessions conducted to promote peaceful coexistence and awareness

• Conflict and Peace Secretariat established within Zango Kataf LGA to institutionalise peacebuilding efforts

Impact

The LiFeMiLE Project demonstrates how environmental innovation can serve as a powerful tool for peacebuilding. By protecting farmlands and improving agricultural productivity, live fencing reduces the triggers that often spark farmer–herder disputes. At the same time, inclusive dialogue platforms and early warning systems ensure that both farmers and herders play active roles in preventing conflict.

Community events—such as a World Peace Day football match that brought farmers and herders together for the first time in over a decade—have further strengthened trust and collaboration.

By pairing sustainable land management with locally led peace structures, the initiative shows that practical solutions to everyday challenges can create lasting pathways toward peaceful coexistence.

Read the full case study to learn how SPRiNG and CRUDAN are advancing climate-conscious peacebuilding in Kaduna State.