Petroleum Policy and Food Security: Managing Agricultural Displacement in Adamawa State

This study examines the interface between petroleum policy and food security in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria, focusing on how petroleum exploration activities in the Gongola Basin have displaced agricultural communities and disrupted food production systems. Adamawa State's agro-pastoral economy makes it particularly vulnerable to land-use conflicts arising from petroleum operations, yet petroleum-agriculture policy coordination is largely absent from Nigeria's legislative framework. Using a professional policy analysis approach, the research draws on data from the Adamawa State Ministry of Agriculture, interviews with ten farming community representatives in Numan and Ganye LGAs, and review of agricultural displacement records associated with seismic survey activities from 2020 to 2024. Findings indicate that petroleum operations in Adamawa frequently proceed without adequate agricultural impact assessments, resulting in uncompensated crop losses and prolonged access disruptions. The study recommends mandatory agricultural impact assessments as a component of petroleum EIA processes in Nigeria's northern states and a statutory agricultural restoration fund financed by petroleum operators. Keywords: petroleum policy, food security, agricultural displacement, Adamawa State, Gongola Basin.