Surviving violent conflicts and climate variability: An intersectional analysis of differentiated access to diversification resources among smallholder farmers in Kuka

Kuka, a sub-district in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State-Nigeria has been experiencing violent conflicts since 2001 amidst damning ecological stressors. Between 2001 to date, Shendam Local Government, to which Kuka belongs, has experienced 28 different violent conflicts which were fought largely along ethnic and religious lines. This has intersected with climate variability to generate various risk factors for smallholder farmers in Kuka prompting varied diversification processes. While issues of diversification among smallholder farmers have been well documented in critical literature on adaptation, the extent to which social and relational factors inform differentiated access to diversification resources among smallholder farmers in the specific region of Kuka, to the best knowledge of the researcher, has been least investigated. This study contributes to critical debate on farmers' adaptation strategies by arguing that social and relational factors of sex, age, gender, social capital, economic status, religion and ethnicity intersect to inform differentiated access to diversification resources prompting differentiated vulnerabilities to social and ecological stressors among smallholder farmers in Kuka. This was arrived at by integrating an explanatory sequential design of the mixed methods approach with the Theory of Access to develop questionnaires and interview guides which enabled the collection of field data from 330 participants. It was therefore, recommended that: (1) the relational and social mechanisms of access should be checked to reduce the alienation of smallholder farmers from access and use of community resources, (2) the traditional authorities should work with the various religious leaders to address discriminatory cultural and social practices that inform differentiated access to diversification resources among smallholder farmers, and (3) the people of kuka should engage in collective projects that would provide avenues for cross-cultural and inter-religious interactions bringing about an integration of all social groups and the consequent elimination of discriminatory social practices that inform differentiated treatment of community members.