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Conflicts over natural resources have become increasingly common in many parts of the world. Population growth and land shortages increase competition, leading to tension between different user groups. In West Africa, conflicts over natural resources are a growing concern. The basic sources of conflict are different ways of using land. However, conflicts are often simplified as disputes between ‘farmers’ and ‘herders’, which introduces ethnicity as a factor. It is important to determine the conditions for effective conflict management in these situations. Research from the University of Giessen, Germany, in co-operation with the Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherche Agricole in Burkina Faso and the International Institute for Environment and Development, UK, analyses conflict over natural resource management in six villages in Burkina Faso. Significant changes to farming communities have occurred since the early 1990s. Traditional community-based social structures are changing to a system based on individual gains. This results in land holdings being divided into increasingly small sections. The area of land under cultivation is also rising, and out-migration by young men from farm households to large towns and cities has increased. Since agricultural in Burkina Faso is labour-intensive, this leads to serious problems. At the same time, the in-migration of herder households has increased steadily. These trends result in an increasing demand for cropland and pasture, and changing land use practices. Three traditional forms of access to land are inheritance, grants and loans. These structures favour early settlers over recent immigrants. Since increased levels of in-migration, the level of loans has risen, showing the flexibility of the traditional system under changing conditions. Changes in the responsibilities of different actors and institutional arrangements reflect the adaptability of the system. Despite this flexibility, conflicts over natural resources still occur:
Policy makers at regional and national levels argue that institutional arrangements and regulations are important conditions for conflict management. General processes (such as decentralisation) and specific policies (such as land tenure regulation) are important factors in both creating and mediating conflict. The research recommends that:
It is important to consider the impact of decentralisation and land tenure reforms on natural resource management. The challenge in Burkina Faso is to learn more from local realities and local practices of conflict resolution. This will encourage processes to avoid or resolve conflicts that are organised by local people. Institutional arrangements that enable both people and governments to develop sustainable natural resource management processes are needed. These must be developed before conflicts about increasingly scarce resources become more violent. Source(s): Funded by: DG XII of the European Union Research Project ‘Development of pastoral and agropastoral livelihood systems in West Africa’ id21 Research Highlight: 22 February 2005
Further Information: Tel:
+49 (0) 641 99 37043 University of Giessen, Germany
International Institute for Environment and Development, UK Other related links:
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