Perspectives of young herders in contexts of agropastoral change in northern Benin
The colloquium on 18 June 2026 was held by Ms Eunice Adwoa Sarpong, a PhD candidate with the DecLaRe project at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Göttingen University. The colloquium was well attended by more than 30 participants, highlighting the broad interest in the topic. The colloquium, entitled “Perspectives of young herders in contexts of agropastoral change in northern Benin”, was also a contribution to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s Annual Desertification and Drought Day, held on 17 June under the theme “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”.
Ms Sarpong provided a background to the Fulani culture which is transforming from pastoralist to semi-sedentary, bringing with it new social processes. While the involvement of young boys in herding is not new, their perspectives on labour relations, compensation, and orientations in agropastoral systems are scarcely studied. Through ethnographic research, Ms Sarpong showed emerging lines of conflict in particular regarding kinship and allegiance of the young herders towards the extended household, shown by responsibilities and compensations for herding household members’ animals. Several quotes exemplified different expectations of and experiences by young Fulani men.
The discussion was extremely rich and provided the opportunity to delve deeper into the issues raised by the presentation. Also additional information about the Fulani culture were offered from members of the audience with local experience in Northern Benin and Nigeria. Questions also touched upon elements of (unpaid) child labour and the role of girls with regard to herding duties and raised a discussion about existing and changing cultural norms.
