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Metadata only record Co-existence between farmers and herders in the same area is often thought to be a source of potential conflict so far as access to and uses of available resources are concerned. As in most of rural Senegal, the association between agriculture and animal husbandry has always been the rule rather than the exception. In western Senegal, the traditional production system was agro-pastoral, but pressure on land as a result of groundnut cultivation has accelerated the increasing specialization of the production system, thus diminishing the area available for grazing. The paper is an account of the experience of a village in the western groundnut-growing basin of Senegal, Fandène. The paper describes the trend towards sedentarization that the herder families experienced, resulting in the loss of ownership rights to the Goll. Previous conflicts between Peuhl and Wolof are now avoided through the organization of transhumance. The decision to build a major canal through the Goll region has further complicated an already difficult situation. It has brought different interests into play around the ownership and use of the land, which are briefly described in the paper. It examines various alliances against external forces, and the ways in which internal conflicts can be resolved through dialogue. The case study demonstrates that communities are able not only to effectively manage internal conflicts over access to natural resources, but to go further and allow the various sub-groups to forge alliances against outside interests which could endanger their rights of access and use in respect of natural resources. (CAB Abstract)

Cet article se penche sur l’héritage soviétique dans les systèmes de gestion des pâturages au Kirghizistan. L’héritage soviétique est encore présent dans les institutions de gestion des pâturages au Kirghizistan, qui en reproduisent en partie les pratiques, les valeurs et les hiérarchies. Cette étude se concentre sur les actions de ces institutions à l’échelle locale (les Associations d’Usagers des Pâturages et les Comités de Pâturages) et sur l’évolution du rôle des éleveurs, principaux usagers des pâturages, dans le nouvel environnement socio-économique. L’analyse est développée dans le cadre de la théorie de la dépendance au sentier qui postule que les anciennes institutions continuent de structurer les nouvelles politiques. Les données de terrain collectées à Naryn, une province du Kirghizistan, montrent comment les processus de prises de décision non-participatifs, les modèles de mises en place et les valeurs liées aux pâturages façonnés sous l’époque soviétique continuent d’influencer les institutions actuelles, de même que les configurations établies entre usagers de la ressource et entre usager de la ressource et leur environnement. The paper looks at the Soviet legacy in pasture governance systems of Kyrgyzstan that reproduce Soviet-era practices, meanings and power hierarchies. The study focuses on the current operation of local-level institutions (Pasture Users Associations and Pasture Committees) and the changing role of herders as a key pasture user category in the new socio-economic environment. Path dependence theory, which posits that old institutions continue to structure new policy arrangements, frames the analysis. Empirical data collected in Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn Province show how non-participatory decision-making and implementation modes, as well as the meanings surrounding pasture use, that were shaped during the Soviet era, still influence institutions in the present day, along with established patterns amongst resource users and between resource users and their environment.

Metadata only record Although the returns to agricultural production are higher in wetlands, labor use also is much higher than in dryland. The wetlands in the savannas of Africa are a key resource for both farmers and herders. This paper describes the characteristics of wetlands and their relationship to the surrounding savanna lands. It highlights their use for increasing, diversifying and commercializing agricultural production and for livestock production. Restriction of access to wetland for livestock is very serious and leads to conflicts. Technologies, as well as policies, are examined. Available in SANREM office, FS