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| Conflicts and Alliances between farmers and herders: A case study of the 'Goll' of Fandene village, Senegal |
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Reference |
| Gueye, Mamadou Bara: 1994 "Conflicts and Alliances between farmers and herders: A case study of the 'Goll' of Fandene village, Senegal: IIED,London |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| This case study describes a village in the Western groundnut growing basin of Senegal, Fandene. Here the people are mainly farmers.There is a pastoral enclave within the lands of Fandene village.The herders moved in some 30 years ago into a land known as 'Goll', abandoned by farmers as a result of harsh climatic conditions.The land comprises of three types of soil:sandy "dior"soil(south-eastern part) ; sandy/clayey "deck dior" soil(central part) and ferruginous soils (north) unsuitable for cultivation.The name of the area ( goll means forest in Serere) shows that it used to be covered in trees, but now it is transformed into shrubby savannah.Having been left uncultivated for several decades, it was gradually taken over by herders for pastoral purposes. There are now two Peuhl (Fulani) settlements, Mbayene Peuhl and Fouta Goll in this zone. |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| Not reported |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Social:The Peuhl stayed only during the rainy season, moving on to richer areas of pasture in the dry season.There is a water hole in this area, in the dry season few of the Peuhl became involved in small-scale market gardening, using water from the well.
The mobile nature of pastoral activity has always posed a problem in marking out a pastoral area belonging to a herder community, although long term occupation gave the herders a sense of belonging to the area but their informal contract with the former owners prevented them from making any type of concrete investment e.g; planting of trees which could mean as if they were seeking to appropriate the land for themselves |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| The Rural Council has control over the allocation of land and also its withdrawal in the Rural community |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Not reported |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| 1)In the past cohabitation between the Peuhl and farming communities, especially the Wolof, an ethnic group has given rise to conflicts,straying of livestock animals in the farmers' field led to the Wolof setting fire to a large part of herders' village
Transhumance is now organised in a way to avoid this kind of conflict:During the onset of rainy season, the animals are driven towards a large forest "Kagne" and only return to Goll after the harvest
2)Commercial exploitation of the Kinkeliba shrub (Combretum micranthum) by Serere and Wolof women often causes conflict with the Peuhl |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| There was project for construction of canal through the middle of the Goll whose primary object is to supply Dakar with drinking water from a lake located 300 km away.This aroused interest among the people regarding the ownership and use of the land
The first type sets the interest of the local Serere, Wolof and Peuhl people against those of outside institutions
Secondly it involves the rights of the herders and those of the Sereres, where farmers and herders have put together an alliance to oppose the expropriation of Goll by outside interests.This implicitly recognises the possibility of setting up a co-management system
Finally the two communities have set up a strategy based on alliances against external aggression: a)Gaining entry to and control over the Rural Council
b)Alliances with influential people( Govt. officials)
c)Staying ahead of the law by demonstrating occupation
To resolve internal conflicts through dialogue
Conflict resolution is mainly handled by the village community's own authorities.Rural community play a marginal role in local resource management and conflicts relating to such resources |
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Purpose |
| Study of Natural Resource Mnagement |
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Country |
| Senegal |
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Region |
| Vill:Fandene |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-30/03/96 |
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