Nigeria’s peasant cattle production is based in its semi-arid north. The
area’s aridity becomes a major problem to cattle in the dry season. Herds are
protected by bringing them down to the southern parts that are usually wetter
at such times. Presence of tsetse fly in the south, particularly in the rainy
season precludes sustained all year round grazing in the south. This sets the
stage for migration back to the north at the onset of rains in the south. A
number of social events has been observed that suggest possible change in the
way this transhumance is conducted. The Fulani herders from northern Nigeria
appear to be staying longer in the south. They are also turning sedentary and
pressurizing local resources and farmlands more intensely leading to violent
and deadly conflicts with their local farming hosts in the south. On the other
hand, some southern farmers now have successful cattle production enterprises
based on the tsetse fly prone Fulani cattle breeds. This study seeks to find
out if these trends indicate a negatively changed northern environment that is
turning more hostile to peasant cattle production and promoting greater
pressures on the south. It also seeks to finds out if the trends show a
positive change in the environment of southern Nigeria in terms of a changed
tsetse fly habitat and decline in its populations. The study is approached
through surveys involving the Fulani herdsmen operating in southern Nigeria
and their host communities. Results indicate a paradigm shift in understanding
of ethnic clashes in Nigeria in the light of environmental change; some
positive effects of environmental change; that positive environmental change
may lead to negative social impacts. They also show that internal migration in
Nigeria is largely environment dependent
