Galvanizing Climate Advocacy and Peacebuilding with Herders in the Sahel

The goal of the program is to reduce the risk of farmer-herder conflict in target communities spanning the border of Niger and Benin, and to specifically address the risk posed by climate change, which has been identified in new research as a direct driver of conflict in these communities. This research has yielded two key results that are fundamental to this program: (1) that early migration of herders occur when there are climate-driven interruptions to rainfall during the wet season, which drives transhumant herders south in search of pasture, and directly into areas under cultivation by farmers, in many cases leading to conflict; and (2) when transhumant herder communities have political representation, the risk of conflict is reduced, likely because of the ability to resolve disputes through non-violent means.