Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 11 farmers in two separate attacks in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State over the weekend, highlighting the growing dangers facing rural communities caught between insurgency and criminal violence.

According to anti-militia members, seven farmers were rounded up and killed in Kuwawu village on Saturday while preparing their fields ahead of the planting season. The victims had traveled from the nearby town of Monguno to work on their farmland when they were attacked.

"All the seven farmers were slaughtered by the ISWAP insurgents and their bodies were recovered and buried yesterday," anti-militia fighter Babakura Kolo said.

In a separate incident the same day, four other farmers were killed while working on farms near Kross Kauwa in the Lake Chad region. 

Local anti-militia fighters also blamed the attack on fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival faction that split from Boko Haram.

The killings underscore the persistent insecurity gripping northern Nigeria, where militant groups and armed gangs routinely target farming communities. Militants often impose taxes on farmers seeking access to their land and have been known to attack those unable or unwilling to pay.

The violence is increasingly threatening agricultural production in a region that produces about 70% of Nigeria's cereals. 

The International Monetary Fund has warned that declining farming activity could worsen poverty and food insecurity in a country where millions already face hunger.

The latest attacks come just days after 17 farmers were killed in northwestern Zamfara State in an assault local officials attributed to armed criminal gangs.