Management of indigenous pastures and cattle herds by the Fulani in northern Benin

In Benin, management of cattle grazing land is changing due to the government’s sedentarisation policy, which regulates cattle mobility in the country. This study aimed to enhance understanding of the evolving grazing pressures in the municipalities of Tchaourou and Djougou in northern Benin and to integrate local herders’ practices into the newly required management of herds and grazing land. From February to April 2023, eighty (80) agropastoralists across four Fulani villages were interviewed individually using a semi-structured questionnaire to identify their habitual rangeland management practices, perception of forage availability, and constraints to livestock production and feeding. The results indicate slow and inadequate adoption of fodder production, while rangeland degradation is increasing rapidly, threatening livestock-based livelihoods. Poor access to fodder seeds and unclear land tenure systems appear to be barriers to intensified fodder production, the latter also preventing successful grazing management of the remaining rangelands.

This research highlights the challenges faced by pastoralists in feed scarcity, invasive species and land access amid the process of sedentarisation. The research proposes practical solutions among which promotion of forage cultivation incentives for smallholders herders and supporting community-based fodder production with tools, seeds and training.