MOBILITY OF TRANSHUMANT CATTLE HERDS IN BENIN: ORGANIZATION, ACTORS AND CHALLENGES

Maximilien Azalou, Alassan Assani Seidou, C-tin Pascal, Ibrahim Alkoiret Traore

Abstract
   This study aims to understand transhumance through its organization, the actors involved in its management, and its challenges in southern Benin. With the large flow of transhumant herds that Benin receives in its southern part, we question the management of this pastoral system. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 300 transhumant actors in 13 villages of the commune of Djidja, which is a reception area for national and foreign transhumant herders. The results show that the organization of transhumance was divided into three periods that follow one another from the arrival to the return of transhumants from the reception areas. In this way, transhumance activities in these study areas involve direct and indirect actors with different interests, knowledge and assumptions. According to the herders surveyed, 72% of the grazing areas are occupied by other uses. This situation is at the origin of agropastoral conflicts and thus weakens the progress of transhumance in this region. The redefinition, materialization and effective securing of pastoral space is therefore essential for the proper organization of transhumance and the reduction of conflicts between actors.