Episode 57: Sustainable peace from the ground up: Natural resource peace agreements in Nigeria

In Nigeria's Middle Belt, farmer-herder conflicts over land and natural resources have claimed thousands of lives in recent years. Climate change – through prolonged droughts, irregular rainfall and shrinking grazing lands – is intensifying these pressures, driving displacement and deepening tensions across communities in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states.In this episode, we speak with Chrisantus Lapang Defuna'an from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. Through an inclusive, climate-sensitive dialogue process facilitated by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue,  communities across the region have signed three natural resource peace agreements that embed provisions for collaborative resource management and climate adaptation. The results are striking: reduced violence, the return of displaced persons, reopened markets, improved food security – and communities now farming and managing shared resources together.Chrisantus reflects on what these agreements have achieved, what the evaluation evidence tells us about what made the difference, and what this model might mean for other regions facing similar climate-driven resource conflicts.Further resources: Multi-Level Approaches to Sustainable Peace in Nigeria’s Middle Belt: Key Findings from Evaluating Climate-Sensitive Peace Programming - report and evaluation synthesis Impact story: Reaching a peace agreement in Nigeria's Middle Belt: Shared natural resource use in the climate crisis  Weathering Risk Peace Pillar spotlight session at BCSC 2025 (watch here) More information about the project here © adelphi global, all rights reservedadelphi global (https://adelphi-global.de/en) is an economically and politically independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting sustainability, enhancing environmental protection, improving education, expanding development cooperation, and strengthening international collaborations. Our commitment is reflected in targeted projects, in-depth analyses, and informative educational events, through which we strive for a just and sustainable world.Editing by Paulus Müller-Hahl (Lichtbilder)