The study investigated crucial factors influencing role performance of community leaders in rural development activities (RDAs) in Southwestern Nigeria. A multi‑stage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. Primary data were collected from 352 respondents using structure interview schedule while key informants were subjected to in‑depth interview. Appropriate descriptive statistical tools were used to summarise quantitative data while content analysis was used for qualitative data. Factor analysis was used to isolate crucial factors influencing role performance. The results showed that majority (78.7 % and 89.2 %) were male and married respectively with a mean age of 51.83 ± 8.91 years. Also, honesty (92.9 %) and individual contributions to RDAs (84.7 %) were the major criteria used for leadership emergence. Protecting the welfare of the community members (mean = 2.42) and community mobilization (mean = 2.28) were the major roles performed. Crucial factors found to be associated with role performance of community leaders in RDAs were household, socio‑economic status, bases of influence, institutional support among others. The study concluded that the identified factors were germane to role performance. It was therefore recommended that these identified factors should be considered in selecting people into leadership position to enhance formidable rural leadership structure and sustainable rural development.
Farmer-herder conflict constitutes a severe threat to community peace, development, agricultural production and socio-economic life of rural dwellers especially crop farmers, thereby forcing them to utilise some coping strategies to survive the crises and cushion the effects. Therefore, the paper assessed the causes, effects, and coping strategies utilised by crop farmers to mitigate the effects of conflict with cattle herders in rural communities of Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 120 crop farmers (the more vulnerable ones) were selected across the state and quantitative data were elicited from them using a structured interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results show that respondents had a mean age of 44.16 ± 14.77 years and farming experience of 20.16 ± 11.23 years, and 75.7 % had formal education. Loss of crops (mean = 1.63) and reduction in farmers’ output and income (mean = 1.52) were the major effects of conflict, while strategies adopted include tightening farm security (mean = 2.93), praying for peace (mean = 2.91) and seeking help from friends and relatives (mean = 2.91). About half (48.6 %) utilised the coping strategies at a high level to mitigate conflict with cattle herders. There was a significant relationship between the coping strategies utilisation and the years of residence (r = 0.224), farming experience (r = 0.201) and effects of conflict (r = 0.567). The study concluded that although crop farmers utilised different coping strategies to mitigate the effects of herders’ conflict problem-solving types were most adopted. It is therefore recommended that government and other donor agencies should provide relief materials to crop farmers during conflict situations to enable them to cope with the effects of the conflict and resume their normal economic activities.
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