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International Journal of Development and Sustainability ISSN: 2168-8662 – /ijds Volume 3 Number 1 (2014): Pages 242-251 ISDS Article ID: IJDS Freshwater scarcity: A threat to peaceful co-existence between farmers and pastoralists in northern Nigeria Sunday Didam Audu * Department of Religious Studies Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo PMB 21244, Ikeja, Nigeria Abstract This paper argues that present diminishing freshwater resources constitutes a threat to the centuries old peaceful co-existence between farmers and pastoralists in Nigeria. The phenomenon in Nigeria is a subset of growing concerns around the world on threats certain populations face as a result of the effects of climate change on the environment. There are several conflicts between farmers and pastoralists that are ongoing over competition for access to diminishing freshwater and pastures. The paper gleans occurrences of violent clashes between farmers and pastoralists in the northern part of Nigeria over a ten year period. A disturbing pattern is observed in view of the increasing frequency of the conflicts. The negative trend portends a threat to food security and sustainable development in the country. Key Words: Farmers; Pastoralists; Freshwater; Conflict; Food Security Published by ISDS LLC, Japan | Copyright © 2014 by the Author(s) | This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Cite this article as: Audu, S.D. (2014), “Freshwater scarcity: A threat to peaceful co-existence between farmers and pastoralists in northern Nigeria”, International Journal of