The colonial and postcolonial pastoral policies and regionalization in the ECOWAS. [French]Original Title L'elevage pastoral face aux politiques coloniales, postcoloniales et de regionalisation dans l'espace CEDEAO.

摘要

Livestock production and agriculture are the two main human activities in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. But the disparity in pastoral resources between sahelian and coastal countries accentuates livestock movements within the ECOWAS region and often causes socioeconomic conflicts between transhumance pastoralists and people of the receiving countries. The present study aims at (i) contributing to a better understanding of cross border transhumance in West Africa, (ii) putting an emphasis on that form of livestock production in relation with the free movement of people and goods in ECOWAS region and (iii) identifying transnational transhumance integration measures in the ECOaaaaaaaaaaaaaWAS region. This study is based on a critical review of colonial and post colonial policies in terms of livestock production. This is completed by a case study in a sampling of three countries of which Burkina Faso, representing departure countries on one hand and on the other hand Ghana and Togo as receiving countries for pastoralists. The results reveal that French and English colonial, then post-colonial policies, essentially based on technico-economic development, did not completely succeed in keeping to one place the pastoral livestock breeding. Livestock movements from departure countries (Burkina Faso) toward receiving countries (Togo and Ghana) are no more in reality a seasonal transhumance, but a migrationevasion. The social acceptance of pastoralists in the receiving zones seems to be the consequence of a social anthropological and local politics factors than a technico-economic development. Therefore there is a need to amend livestock production and public policies such as land-use policies in order to harmonize them at the level of ECOWAS region. ECOWAS should further involve itself in the definition of regional public policies and promote the convergence of national policies in terms of livestock production and management of natural resources.