A Participatory Process for Reducing Conflicts Over Land in Senegal
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GLOBAL WATER INITIATIve – WEST AFRICA Factsheet | September 2014 A participatory process for reducing A Partnership Funded by the Howard G. Buett conflicts over land in Senegal Foundation Rural communities in the Anambé river basin in Key terms Land use plans or POAS (Plans Senegal have been helping to raise awareness of local d’Occupation et d’Affectation des Sols): land use planning processes (POAS) in their local areas. local conventions established by rural communities themselves, to manage This approach has resulted in a significant reduction activities on the land and the use of the in the number of conflicts over land in the region, and relevant natural resources. could be replicated elsewhere. Rural communities: administrative units comprising several villages, The Anambé basin covers an area (for example) a lack of sufficient grazing formerly headed by a PCR (Président of 4,250 square miles in the Haute areas, livestock corridors and pastoral wells. de Communauté Rurale) elected every 5 years; since 2014 these have become Casamance area of the Kolda region in This undermined social cohesion because ‘Rural Communes’ headed by mayors. southern Senegal. The Confluent dam, of recurrent conflicts between farmers constructed in 1984 on the confluence of and herders over access to and control of Watch committees (Observatoires): the Kayanga and the Anambé rivers, and natural resources. committees responsible for monitoring, the Niandouba dam, constructed in 1997, mediation and conflict prevention; together have a capacity of 150 million To remedy this state of affairs, which members are drawn from Rural cubic metres of water. Their construction was a threat to the achievement of Communities. was accompanied by the development of the production goals of the irrigation 5,000 hectares of irrigated agricultural scheme, in 2004 SODAGRI began to SODAGRI – The Société de land and five pumping stations. support the seven rural communities in Développement Agricole et Industriel the river basin in drawing up land use du Sénégal (SODAGRI): a corporation The basin extends across seven rural plans (POAS). However, rural councils did with majority public ownership communities in the Kolda region. The not raise awareness of these plans, and under the supervision of the Ministry agricultural area is divided into six so they were not understood or applied of Agriculture. SODAGRI has been sectors, which are irrigated by the five by local people. managing the development of the pumping stations. Anambé basin since 1974. Raising awareness of the POAS: Conflicts and disagreements 2012-2013 Main achievements and innovations between herders and farmers The Global Water Initiative (GWI) in West • POAS are an innovative tool for Land development and the construction of Africa has been working with SODAGRI achieving sustainable management of natural resources and avoiding the dams in the basin changed the nature in the Anambé basin and Confluent and conflict between different users. of the area by creating a large irrigated Niandouba dam areas to support the rural farming capacity. But the design of the communities of Kandiaye, Kandia, Saré • GWI’s participatory approach development failed to take the livestock Colly Sallé and Médina Chérif to raise has enabled stakeholders to take sector properly into account, resulting in awareness about their POAS. ownership of the process, and so has contributed to making the Figure 1. Changes in numbers of herder-farmer conflicts linked to results durable in the long term. encroachment of fields in the period 2008-12 • The awareness-raising process is 90 relatively low cost (US$5,400 per rural community), and produces 80 immediate results, including a 70 decline in the number of conflicts 60 over land. Kandia 50 Kandiaye • Reducing the incidence of conflicts allows local governments to devote 40 Saré Colly Sallé less time to conflict resolution, 30 Médina Chérif and more to development in rural 20 communities. Pastoralists and farmers are also able to invest in 10 their systems of production with 0 more confidence. 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 From May to September 2012 a number In financial terms, Saré Colly Sallé and of information sessions were held with “GWI has opened our eyes, Kandia rural councils have received all the actors involved, followed by support from the Agence Régionale 12 community meetings to update the showing us that with de Développement to draw up local landholding maps, set up the watch limited resources, we can conventions. Kandia rural community committees, and train the committee has included 500,000 FCFA (about members in the codes of conduct for solve many problems”. US$985) in its annual budget, for work to the POAS. The watch committees then ensure the long term sustainability of the held 34 village meetings in the project Alioune Bousso outcomes of the POAS process. area, and conducted information and President of Kandia awareness-raising programmes through rural community Ensuring continuity broadcasts on the FM radio stations A number of challenges will have to be of Tewdou FM (Diaobé) and Bamtaré addressed by local organisations with the FM (Vélingara). support of SODAGRI and other partners. The main ones are: Changes as a result of In all four rural communities farmers awareness-raising activities are beginning to open up the livestock • Building up the organisational After the awareness-raising activities, corridors which they were previously capacity of the watch committees GWI and SODAGRI carried out a occupying illegally. The majority of through training on their roles and participatory stock-taking exercise herders are ensuring that animals responsibilities. are herded from the beginning of with representatives of all the different • Achieving synergy between the the rainy farming season. There is a actors in the rural communities of committees of the different rural general compliance by farmers with the Kandia, Kandiaye, Saré Colly Sallé and communities and joining them up with prohibition on clearing land for farming Médina Chérif. A series of important the state land commission changes were documented. within the grazing zones. In Saré Colly Sallé, the watch committees have been • Making provision for the functioning Governmental and locally elected working to regulate seasonal livestock of the watch committees in commune officials say that they are now much migration. They have established budgets (financing of bicycles, less frequently called upon to resolve committees to welcome and allocate meetings, radio programmes etc.) conflicts linked to straying livestock, space for pastoralists migrating with the • Extending awareness-raising about the whereas in the past arbitrating and seasons (transhumants), based on the POAS process to other areas of the managing conflicts between herders zoning system set up under the POAS. Anambé basin. and farmers took up a large part of In the same community, fire breaks have Modou Diouf their working time. been cut to prevent and limit bush fires. GWI Coordinator in Senegal GWI in West Africa The Global Water Initiative (GWI) in West Africa is implemented by IIED and IUCN and is funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation as part of the global GWI. In West Africa we are working in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal on the theme of agricultural production linked to large dams and irrigated perimeters. To find out more about our work in Senegal: www.gwiwestafrica.org/en/countries/senegal.