GIS Analysis of Nomadic Pastoral Routes and Conflicts in Taraba State

Farmer-herder conflicts in Taraba State, one of Nigeria's most ethnically diverse states, are exacerbated by the disruption of traditional nomadic pastoral routes. This study maps historical and current pastoral routes using participatory GIS methods combined with satellite imagery interpretation. Herder community representatives contribute local knowledge through structured mapping workshops, and route data are digitised into a GIS environment. Conflict incident data from the Nigeria Security Tracker database are geo-referenced and overlaid with mapped routes and agricultural zone boundaries. Spatial correlation analysis identifies convergence zones where pastoral routes intersect with high-value croplands as primary conflict hotspots. Results reveal significant encroachment of agricultural expansion onto documented grazing corridors in the Wukari, Donga, and Ussa LGAs. The study recommends legally demarcating grazing reserves and establishing clearly mapped buffer corridors as conflict de-escalation measures. Findings are directed at the Taraba State Peacebuilding Agency and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Keywords: nomadic routes, farmer-herder conflict, GIS, Taraba State, pastoral mapping