Farmers–Herders Conflicts in the Bougouriba (Burkina Faso): Beyond Political Ecology, the Dual Challenges of Insecurity and Land Tenure Instability

Maiga, Yaya (2026) Farmers–Herders Conflicts in the Bougouriba (Burkina Faso): Beyond Political Ecology, the Dual Challenges of Insecurity and Land Tenure Instability. MODERN GEOGRÁFIA, 21 (4). pp. 63-89. ISSN 2062-1655

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Abstract

Climatic variability at both global and local scales, compounded by the security crisis affecting Burkina Faso since 2015, has driven new dynamics of agro-pastoral conflicts, particularly in the Bougouriba province. This study aims to analyze farmer–herder conflicts in Burkina Faso through the prism of political ecology and the prevailing national security context. It first examines the contentious dynamics surrounding the control of natural resources, notably land, water, and pasture. It then investigates the climatic, environmental, and socio-political drivers of these conflicts, including widespread insecurity, land tenure precarity, and infrastructural crisis. The study draws on political ecology, conflict proximity theory, fieldwork based on structured interviews with both open-ended and closed-ended questions, and thematic documentary analysis. Conflicts over access to land, grazing, and water are evolving from less violent forms (stereotyping, marginalization, stigmatization, and threats) toward more overt forms (eviction of herders, crises or explicit threats of confrontation between stakeholders, sorcery, cases of livestock poisoning or slaughter, and terrorist attacks or incursions). These conflicts symbolize a dynamic of spatial appropriation, reflecting both the desire and the necessity to control natural resources. They are also justified by the repercussions of climate change/ variability on pastoral and agricultural activities (IIF=0.82/1), infrastructure problems (IIF=0.76/1), and security issues (IIF=0.54/1). They disorient herders and stimulate livestock movements toward internal and external fallback sites.

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