Mark Moritz

Changing Contexts and Dynamics of Farmer-Herder Conflicts Across West Africa

ResumeL’augmentation du nombre de comptes-rendus d’accrochages violents entre bergers et fermiers sur tout le territoire Ouest Africain dans la litterature universitaire et les journaux met en evidence l’urgence de mieux comprendre comment et pourquoi ces “vieux” conflits lies aux ressources s’intensifient maintenant et se rattachent a d’autres conflits d’ordre religieux, ethnique et politique. Bien que l’on n’ait pas observe la meme proliferation d’armes a feu en Afrique de l’Ouest qu’en Afrique de l’Est et dans la corne de l’Afrique, on s’inquiete de plus en plus que ces conflits peu serieux entre bergers et fermiers ne se rattachent a d’autres interets et ne se transforment en guerre dans et entre les etats. Les erudits specialises dans la securite environnementale voient des liens de cause a effets entre la pauvrete de l’environnement et la violence. Mais cette perspective Malthusienne sur la pauvrete environnementale et les conflits a ete critiquee par les ecologistes politiques qui rejettent les “li...

Too many people and too few livestock in West Africa? An evaluation of Sandford's thesis.

Abstract We examine whether Stephen Sandfords (2006b) ‘too many people, too few livestock’ thesis for the Greater Horn of Africa applies to West Africa. In a comparative study of seven pastoral systems across West Africa we found that pastoralists have generally successfully adapted to pressures on grazing resources. We describe three adaptive strategies: 1) integration and intensification in the Sudanian zone; 2) movement to the Sub-Humid zone; and 3) extensification in the Sahelian zone. We end by proposing four interrelated factors that account for the differences in pastoral systems between West Africa and the Greater Horn of Africa.

Mobile Pastoralists in the Logone Floodplain Distribute Themselves in an Ideal Free Distribution

We examined whether mobile pastoralists in the Logone floodplain of Cameroon distribute themselves according to the ideal free distribution (IFD), which predicts that the number of individuals in each area is proportional to the quality and quantity of resources in each area and that all individuals have access to the same amount of resources. We used the concept to assess the distribution of grazing pressure over available common-pool resources as evidence of a complex adaptive system in which the spatial distribution grazing pressure is adjusted to the distribution of resources through individual decision making and passive coordination of movements among individual pastoralists. We used a combination of spatial and ethnographic approaches to study the distribution of resources and mobile pastoralists in the Logone floodplain in 5 successive years and found evidence for an IFD in 3 years (2008–2009 and 2012) and an approximation of an IFD in years in which pastoralists were terrorized by armed bandits (2010) and the government reestablished security (2011). The findings support our hypothesis that there is a self-organizing management system in which pastoralists distribute themselves effectively over the available resources.

Meta-studies in land use science: Current coverage and prospects

Land use science has traditionally used case-study approaches for in-depth investigation of land use change processes and impacts. Meta-studies synthesize findings across case-study evidence to identify general patterns. In this paper, we provide a review of meta-studies in land use science. Various meta-studies have been conducted, which synthesize deforestation and agricultural land use change processes, while other important changes, such as urbanization, wetland conversion, and grassland dynamics have hardly been addressed. Meta-studies of land use change impacts focus mostly on biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles, while meta-studies of socioeconomic consequences are rare. Land use change processes and land use change impacts are generally addressed in isolation, while only few studies considered trajectories of drivers through changes to their impacts and their potential feedbacks. We provide a conceptual framework for linking meta-studies of land use change processes and impacts for the analysis of coupled human–environmental systems. Moreover, we provide suggestions for combining meta-studies of different land use change processes to develop a more integrated theory of land use change, and for combining meta-studies of land use change impacts to identify tradeoffs between different impacts. Land use science can benefit from an improved conceptualization of land use change processes and their impacts, and from new methods that combine meta-study findings to advance our understanding of human–environmental systems.

Rangeland governance in an open system: Protecting transhumance corridors in the Far North Province of Cameroon

The mobile pastoral system in the far north region of Cameroon is an excellent example of the paradox of pastoral land tenure, in that pastoralists need secure access to pasture and water, but also flexibility in resource use, i.e. the ability to move elsewhere because of spatio-temporal variation in resource availability. In this paper, we draw from our collective research and development experience with mobile pastoralists and discuss how non-governmental organisations have used ordinances and bureaucratic procedures to protect pastoral resources, in particular transhumance corridors that connect seasonal grazing lands in the far north region. We argue that the mobile pastoral system is best understood as an open system and explain what the implications are for the protection of pastoral resources. We argue that delimiting and protecting transhumance corridors is not the panacea, and we conclude with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.

The Politics of Permanent Conflict: Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Northern Cameroon

ResumeCet article suggere qu’il est necessaire, pour arriver a une meilleure comprehension des conflits entre fermiers et bergers en Afrique de l’Ouest, de considerer de maniere explicite ce que les acteurs individuels ont a gagner de ces conflits. Nous avancerons notre comprehension du role que jouent les autorites dans la perpetuation des combats pour les ressources naturelles en integrant la perspective des “politiques du ventre” dans l’analyse des conflits entre fermiers et bergers. Un combat entre les fermiers migrants Tupuri et les bergers nomades Fulse pour les terrains de camping dans le Grand Nord Camerounais montre la maniere dont les autorites administratives traditionnelles et regionales ont savamment et habilement evite toute resolution du conflit. Ils avaient plus a gagner par la perpetuation du conflit que par sa resolution. Malgre la devise “la politique d’abord” les ecologistes politiques n’ont generalement pas reussi a incorporer systematiquement la politique du conflit permanent.

Serotype Diversity of Foot‐and‐Mouth‐Disease Virus in Livestock without History of Vaccination in the Far North Region of Cameroon

Little information is available about the natural cycle of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the absence of control measures such as vaccination. Cameroon presents a unique opportunity for epidemiological studies because FMD vaccination is not practiced. We carried out a prospective study including serological, antigenic and genetic aspects of FMD virus (FMDV) infections among different livestock production systems in the Far North of Cameroon to gain insight into the natural ecology of the virus. We found serological evidence of FMDV infection in over 75% of the animals sampled with no significant differences of prevalence observed among the sampled groups (i.e. market, sedentary, transboundary trade and mobile). We also found antibodies reactive to five of the seven FMDV serotypes (A, O, SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3) among the animals sampled. Finally, we were able to genetically characterize viruses obtained from clinical and subclinical FMD infections in Cameroon. Serotype O viruses grouped into two topotypes (West and East Africa). SAT2 viruses grouped with viruses from Central and Northern Africa, notably within the sublineage causing the large epidemic in Northern Africa in 2012, suggesting a common origin for these viruses. This research will guide future interventions for the control of FMD such as improved diagnostics, guidance for vaccine formulation and epidemiological understanding in support of the progressive control of FMD in Cameroon.

Social Risk-Management Strategies in Pastoral Systems: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Pastoralists risk losing their livelihood overnight due to drought, disease, and other disasters. They employ different strategies to minimize these risks, including the following: Mobility, herd maximization, diversification, and social strategies. Social strategies are considered critical because they provide not only a safety net during disasters but also contribute to the resilience of pastoral societies by allowing pastoralists to rebuild herds after disasters. There is, however, much variation in social risk-management strategies (SRMS) across pastoral societies. To understand this variation, we conducted a comparative study of 20 pastoral societies from different socioeconomic, historical, and environmental settings. We used Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to examine which causal configurations explain the variation in SRMS. This analytical approach helped us to identify four clusters of pastoral groups, in which different causal configurations are associated with exchange networks, patron—client relations, and noninstitutional SRMS.

A Critical Examination of Honor Cultures and Herding Societies in Africa

Abstract: African pastoralists have historically used aggression strategically to restock after major losses. On the basis of anthropological studies of African pastoral societies, cultural psychologists have linked the psychological roots of pastoral aggression to the cultural complex of honor. This article is a critical examination of this link. It argues, first, that honor cultures are likely to be found among peasant pastoralists, but not among tribal pastoralists. It also argues that honor psychology and the pastoral personality are two analytically distinct psychological profiles, each of which is acquired through participation in different routines.

The social context of herding contracts in the Far North Region of Cameroon

Droughts across Africa have led to a shift in livestock ownership from impoverished pastoralists to absentee owners who contract hired herders to manage