Understanding the Impact of Crop Raiding by Wild Animals on People’s Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa

Crop raiding and human-wildlife conflicts are major challenges facing communities adjacent to protected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This has affected the food and income security of inhabitants in such regions. The extent of crop raiding on peoples’ livelihoods is not well documented. The aim of the study is to understand the impact of crop raids on people’s livelihoods in the SSA region. It was guided by specific objectives, namely; the history of crop raiding, the common animals involved in crop raiding, the causes of crop raiding by wild animals, the effects of crop raiding on people’s livelihoods, and lastly, crop protection techniques to reduce the impact of wild animal crop raiding to come up with the implication of the future research and policy implementation. A literature search from 2000 to 2024 was made from Google Scholar, Science Direct and Research Gate search engines using key phrases to get appropriate articles for this review. 120 relevant publications were identified from which 71 closely related publications were scrutinized and used for this article. Results show that crop raiding is the major cause of human-wildlife conflicts that have resulted in severe damage to crops, food insecurity and income insecurity, thus curtailing the development of affected areas. The study concludes that the participation of all relevant stakeholders and enacting and enforcing appropriate policies can reduce the frequency and severity of crop raiding and promote sustainable development. This study addresses SDG 1 (No Poverty) by undermining income generation and increasing vulnerability among rural communities. It also relates to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) as it disrupts agricultural production, leading to food shortages. SDG 15 (Life on Land) is directly pertinent, aiming to protect ecosystems and biodiversity while mitigating human-wildlife conflicts