Violent farmer–herder conflicts in West Africa: landscape–livelihood interactions and the political ecology of customary dispute resolution

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the relationship among customary authorities, local disputes, and conflict escalation in Benin, West Africa, where violent insurgency is emerging. It uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate how changes in land use and livelihoods affect the capacity of customary authorities to resolve farmer–herder disputes as a prerequisite for violence prevention. It concludes that landscape changes and altered livestock migration patterns have weakened dispute resolution mechanisms to the point where they no longer function effectively. The result is a higher risk of escalation in areas where regional insecurity is linked to local conflicts between farmers and livestock herders.