Managing Herder-Farmer Conflicts Through State Government Peace Architecture in Plateau State

This study examines the professional application of the Plateau State Government's peace architecture in managing herder-farmer conflicts, evaluating the design, implementation, and outcomes of key institutional mechanisms from a conflict management practice perspective. The Plateau State Peace Building Agency, inter-community reconciliation platforms, and governor's peace committees represent a layered state-level conflict management architecture that has been tested repeatedly by recurring herder-farmer conflicts in the central zones of Nigeria. Using a professional practice research design, data were collected through structured interviews with 30 government peace officers, traditional rulers, security officials, and representatives of civil society organisations involved in conflict management in Barkin Ladi, Bassa, and Jos East local government areas. Policy documents and state peace commission reports from 2021 to 2024 were also analysed. The theoretical framework draws from conflict management architecture theory and institutional effectiveness models. Findings indicate that the Plateau State peace architecture has produced measurable improvements in early warning response times and community dialogue participation, but persistent under-resourcing, high officer turnover, and the absence of formal accountability mechanisms weaken its long-term effectiveness. Recommendations include increasing the Plateau State Peace Building Agency's operational budget, establishing performance management systems for government peace officers, and training a dedicated cadre of professional conflict management practitioners to staff the state peace architecture. Keywords: herder-farmer conflict, peace architecture, Plateau State, government conflict management, professional practice.