Eau Et Pâturages Au Niger: Conflits, Marchandisation Et Modes De Gouvernance

Abstract

Among several forms of herding in Niger, mobile herding remains the most important. Water access has undergone deep transformations in this field: increasing conflict with farmers, uses of wells as land tenure markers, multiplication of drilled wells with maintenance and management problems, commoditisation of water points. Various modes of governance are thus more and more intermingled in pastoralists' access to water infrastructures, including the state (often repressive, racketeer, absent, involved in patronage relations); municipalities (taking resources from herding without investing in it); development projects (perceived as an income to benefit from); and herder associations (fostered by senior officers).