2026 Vol-6 Issue-2 | BANDITRY, AGRICULTURAL LIVELIHOODS AND HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN ATYAP CHIEFDOM, SOUTHERN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA.

This study examined the effects of banditry on agricultural livelihoods and household food security in Atyap Chiefdom, Southern Kaduna, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socio-economic characteristics of farming households, assessed the effects of banditry on agricultural livelihoods, and identified the determinants of household food insecurity in the study area. Primary data were collected from 108 farming households using a structured questionnaire administered in selected communities affected by recurring banditry attacks. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Household food insecurity was measured using a perception-based binary indicator derived from respondents' self-assessment of their ability to meet household food needs during the previous production season. This approach was adopted because the study focused on conflict-induced livelihood disruptions and household experiences under insecure conditions, where detailed food-security scales such as the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) or Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) could not be fully implemented during field data collection. The results showed that 87.0% of respondents experienced constrained market access, 42.0% temporarily abandoned their farms, 38.0% suffered crop losses, and 36.0% reported increased production costs due to banditry activities. The logistic regression results revealed that the number of attacks (β = 0.812; p < 0.01), frequency of attacks (β = 0.654; p < 0.01), and crop loss (β = 0.735; p < 0.05) significantly increased the likelihood of household food insecurity. Conversely, unhindered market access (β = –0.693; p < 0.05) significantly reduced the likelihood of food insecurity. The corresponding odds ratios indicated that households experiencing more attacks were approximately 2.25 times more likely to be food insecure, while households with unhindered market access were about 50 percent less likely to experience food insecurity. The model exhibited a Nagelkerke R² value of 0.60, suggesting a relatively good fit to the observed data for a cross-sectional logistic regression model. The findings indicate that recurrent banditry undermines agricultural production, disrupts market participation, and heightens household food insecurity. The study recommends strengthening rural security architecture, protecting agricultural production systems, improving market accessibility, and supporting livelihood recovery programmes in conflict-affected communities.