Benin/Transhumance and conflict prevention: A passage corridor created in Bembèrèkè

With the aim of contributing to peaceful cohabitation between herders and farmers in Bembèrèkè, the Fonds national de développement agricole (Fnda) and Swiss Cooperation have provided support for the construction of a passage corridor in Gamia.

The 32-kilometer-long Gamia passageway is marked by 336 beacons, each 2 meters high. The beacons are spaced at 100-metre intervals and covered with a layer of indelible white paint with a red cap. They are set up in two rows to mark the left and right boundaries of the 50-meter-wide corridor, according to the official government website. The Gamia corridor has three vaccination centers, two grazing areas and water reservoirs along its route. This corridor is a real tool for economic development and social inclusion. Indeed, livestock plays a central role in the local economy of Bembèrèkè, with a herd of 17,650 head of cattle and a total of 27,595 beneficiaries in the Gamia district alone. As a result, livestock plays a considerable role in the mobilization of the commune's resources". It should be emphasized that the recurrence of conflicts between farmers and stockbreeders has forced Bembèrèkè stockbreeders to move from their original localities to faraway destinations, such as Ghana. This exodus has a negative impact on the liveliness of the Gamia livestock market, whose resources not only help toimprove the income of users (breeders, traders, restaurant owners, transporters), but also make a considerable contribution to the local economy. "It is in response to these concerns, and to the policy of sedentarization promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, that the Fonds national de développement agricole (Fnda) has lent its support to the town council and to the local community. its support to the Bembèrèkè town council and the Union communale des producteurs et éleveurs de ruminants (Ucoper) de Bembèrèkè for the creation of a passage corridor at Gamia, thanks to a call for projects under its window 1.1, Subventions aux investissements structurants" informs the official government website. The infrastructure was handed over last Wednesday, October 2024, in the locality of Takou-Gando. The Gamia market is a major livestock trading center in the Borgou department. Because of its location, it welcomes users from all parts of the department, and sometimes from beyond the national border. In terms of social inclusion, the Gamia corridor facilitates livestock mobility while reducing conflicts between farmers and herders. "In terms of social inclusion, the Gamia corridor facilitates livestock mobility, while reducing conflicts between farmers and herders.pastoral areas by crop fields, and in turn prevent conflicts between farmers and herders, which have become recurrent, causing material damage and loss of life", says the same source.

Source: matinlibre.com/2024/