Resource- Based Conflict and Rural Poverty in Benue State

Central Nigeria is a region blessed with a rich physical environment that offers several opportunities for man to exploit. The natural environment of the region provides several resources including mineral resources, vegetal resources, water resources, agricultural lands resources among others which have been extensively exploited by man in the course of his economic activities. Consequently, the struggle over some of these resources in the region especially agricultural land and water resources between Farmers and Pastoralists in the last two decades has led to a sustained violent conflict in the area leading to a large displacement of farmers, damage to infrastructure, institutions, production and brake up of communities and social networks therefore exacerbating poverty in the region. It is against this background that the paper examines the Farmers and Pastoralists violent conflict in Benue State and its devastating effects on rural farmers in the area. The paper identifies factors such as climate change, the influx of foreign pastoralist into the country and lack of government decisive policy action on resolving the conflict among others as being responsible for the lingering conflict. It finally submits that everything should be done by government and other concerned stakeholders towards timely resolution of the conflict. The methodology adopted for the study is a historical methodology, utilizing materials from both primary and secondary sources