Description

Recurrent drought-with its concurrent threat of climatic change, advancing desertification and the

deteriorating natural resource base – have heightened fears of increased conflict among populations in West Africa. In particular, the unique agricultural and pastoral systems and constituent peoples of the West African Sahel appear increasingly vulnerable to conflict given these weather-related phenomena and the intensifying population pressure and changing socioeconomic conditions affecting all in the region. This review holds a two-fold purpose. The first is to draw together the relevant literature (both formal and “gray”, found in the accompanying Annotated Bibliography) and the perspectives of key informants involved in conflict, natural resource management, and agro-pastoral systems in the West African Sahel (see Appendix A). The second is to analyze this knowledge base and current experience in order to identify where and how the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP) can intervene effectively to improve conflict and natural resource management (NRM) within these systems in West Africa.