The Building Bridges for Peace project, implemented by the Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse (YIAVHA) with the support of Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law, is a study project that employed the Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR) initiative focused on analysing violent conflicts in Riyom LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria. Utilising a systems analysis approach, the study explored the key driving factors (KDFs) contributing to the persistence of farmer-herder conflicts and other forms of violence in Riyom, Nigeria, and examined the potential of intergenerational storytelling, joint farming initiatives, exchange visits, and inter-community dialogues to foster peace and reconciliation. Find the Community Participatory Action Research Report here. Access a short video here that reflects the methodology and impact of the project.
The project recorded the following outcomes:
- evidence-based insights for lasting peace
The project produced a Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR) report which provided insight on the root causes and key drivers of the farmer-herder conflict in Riyom. It also highlighted locally driven, workable solutions. The report is now serving as a valuable reference for stakeholders and practitioners working to address the conflict in communities ravaged by the farmer-herder conflicts. - Reduction in violent incidents and other farm and grazing related conflicts. The project significantly reduced violent clashes between farmers and herders in Riyom. In the past, the destruction of farms by cattle breeders could lead to attacks on the cattle rearers with implications on wider levels of community security and safety. Notably, no escalated attacks and farm destruction were recorded during the high-risk conflict season (June–July 2024) marking a major shift in community safety.
- Improved economic collaboration. Through a series of initiatives that brought together people from adversary communities to work side-by-side, new friendships and networks were established that led to economic collaboration and food security across communities that have experienced the persistence of violent conflicts. In the past, cattles and their rearers were attacked while grazing and crops were destroyed which led to the abandonment of large farmlands thereby reducing grazing and farming activities.
- Increased Youth involvement in peacebuilding
Youth who were once drivers of conflict due to their involvement in grazing and farming activities are now adopting non adversarial approaches to addressing conflicts arising from farms. In the past, they were missing in peace meetings thereby making it difficult to understand and implement meeting resolutions. Through a series of initiatives which were 54%youth focused and led, they were able to connect with elders and peers across communities thereby establishing more friendship, networks and perspective that transformed how they respond to conflicts. - Increased access to land for farming and grazing initially abandoned due to threats. Some of the previously abandoned farmlands and grazing areas are now back in use. Communities once divided by fear and the experiences of losses are gradually reclaiming their land for safe farming and grazing. Some of those lands have been abandoned for as long as 9 years.
- Breaking barriers through exchange visits
Inter-community exchange visitshave opened up isolated areas, helping to dismantle long-held perceptions of hostilities in segregated communities. These encounters are forging new relationships and demystifying fears associated with neighboring communities segregated by unaddressed grievances and violence. - Policy influence and strategic direction
The project’s evidence-based policy briefis influencing how Plateau State addresses the root causes of farmer-herder conflict. Drawing from lived community experiences, it offers practical, tested strategies—including joint farming, youth-led peacebuilding, and inclusive dialogue—that are now shaping local policy and peacebuilding efforts. The brief is a tool for prevention, socio-economic collaboration, and long-term stability. Find brief here