CONSENSUS BUILDING

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CONSENSUS BUILDING FADAMA EXAMPLE

• BYS.S. AJUWON

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• 1.0 Introduction
• The use and management of Common Property
  Resources (CPR/NR by many stakeholders in fadama
  lands, is shrouded by lack of defined security
  and proper rights by users. There is also limited
  equal access and transparency in the use of
  Fadama lands. Conflict management mechanisms in
  the use of CPR is also not effectively
  implemented by the responsible organizations, and
  this has been a source of continuous conflict
  among stakeholders

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Questions to be Addressed

• What are the causes of conflicts within the
  Fadama communities?
• What are the effects of conflicts on the Fadama
  Communities.?
• What are the conflict management mechanism
  currently in place and the NFDP-II strategy to
  improve on them.?

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S What are the causes of conflicts within the
Fadama communities?

• Causes of the Conflicts
• Land tenure and land use practices
• Traditional collective use of land.
• Communal ownership rights and use rights.
• Decreased communal right.
• Enhancement of significance of individual
  ownership.
• Inherent differing perception of land.

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• Non-observation of rules and regulations
• Flouting of the dry season farming and grazing
  rules.
• Non-payment of traditional homage/tribute
• Lack of information on arrival.
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• Inadequacy of the existing grazing reserves
• Encroachment for farming activities.
• Land speculation for building
• Government development intervention

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• Poor State of the existing grazing reserves
• Poorly developed due to over-grazing and poor
  management.
• Characterized by unpalatable shrubs, and weeds.
• Lack of watering facilities, vet infrastructures,
  e.g. clinic, etc.
• Poor facilities, such as vaccination centres,
  cattle dips and feed stores.
• Blockage and reduction in size of stock routes
• Encroachment due to fertility of the land.
• Blockage of stock routes
• Fadama water and ponds are converted to
  irrigation water
• Boundaries not clear.
• Commercialization of Crop residue
• Treated as economic commodity .

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• Limited use of improved pasture and feeds
• Low management of fodder banks.
• Low use of supplementary feeds.
• High preference for traditional transhumance.
• Poor land and soil conservation measures
• Desert encroachment.
• Degradation due to deforestation, erosion,
  desertification and excessive salinity.
• Traditional beliefs and practices
• Deliberate destruction of crops and properties.

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• What are the effects of conflicts on the Fadama
  Communities.?
• Effects of the Conflict
• Death of farmers, pastoralists and other
  settlers.
• Destructions of crops, irrigation facilities,
  loss of properties and animals.
• Insecurity and fear among farmers and
  pastoralists.
• Inability to pay back fadama loans.
• Reduction in productivity
• Defected social relationship and mutual distrust

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What are the conflict management mechanism
currently in place and the NFDP-II strategy to
improve on them.?

• Conflict Mechanism in Place
• Traditional Authorities
• Legal Authority (Police and Court)
• Local and State Governments

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Traditional Authorities

• Village Elders, Ward Heads,Village Heads and
  District Heads.
• Depending on hierarchy, they settle from mild to
  severe
• Shortcomming
• - interests in the matters vary from one
  village to another.
• - some respond immediately while some delay
• - court like procedures are set up with
  witnesses.
• - site inspections are carried out and cost
  assessed
• - but they are occasionally accused of
  corruption.
• - some village heads have formed hospitality
  committees

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• Legal Authority - Police Court
• - they are seldom used
• Local and State Governments
• - they set up committees to settle disputes
• - occasionally there are conflicts between
  Local Government officials and the Traditional
  Rulers

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Examples of Strategies In Place in some States

• (1) BAUCHI STATE
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Minor conflicts
• Settled through traditional arbitrators
  (ward/village heads, district heads. Emir or
  parties involved).
• Hospitality Committee (set up by village heads to
  meet with pastoralists coming into the community)
• Indigenous version of Resource Users Agreement
  discussed.

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• Major conflicts
• Police /Courts
• State conflict resolution committee. (Rep. Of
  DLGC, SSS, Police, Farmers, Pastoralist, with DG
  (DLG) as Chairman
• Local government or district levels committees.
• Tool used - radio programmes (Hausa fufulde)
• Despite these mechanism, there are complains from
  the Stakeholders.

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• Complaints
• Farmers
• Police protects bandits and their god fathers
• Govt. is slow to respond to conflicts, lacks
  preventive measures and provides no relief to
  victims.
• Law enforcement agents favour pastoralists.
• Pastoralists
• Courts awards high compensation for destructions,
• Cattle routes and grazing reserves are not
  protected.
• They are maltreated and exploited.

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• Traditional rulers
• Erosion of power and authority.
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• Observations of the Researchers
• Both farmers and pastoralists take laws into
  their hands.
• Out of 64 grazing reserves in the State only 10
  have been gazetted.
• 21 grazing reserves are not surveyed and
  demarcated.
• Only 213,550ha grazing reserves are available.
• Grazing reserves and stock routes are encroached.
• Pasture and watering points are inadequate.

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• (2) KEBBI STATE
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Minor conflicts
• Traditional Method
• Yauri community case
• The Emir of Yauri has formed more than 30
  professional and tribal associations
• Each association elects its chairman and has
  representative on the Emirate Council
• There are 3 levels of conflict resolution
  committees that have been set up
• i Low level Committee members (village head,
  fulani and farmer leaders. They resolve issues
  by mediation or compensation.

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• ii.. Middle level committee members
  Districts Head, Sarkin Fulani and Branch Chair of
  the Farmers Association.
• Very few issues pass this level without being
  resolved. It can also withdraw cases from the
  court
• High level committee member Emir, Galadima
  and other members of Emirate Council. The
  verdict here is final.
• With these mechanisms in place, the stakeholders
  and every member of the community have been
  living peacefully.

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Major Conflicts

• Courts
• State Government Committees
• Committees on Re-demarcation of Grazing Reserves.
• Committee on Farmers/Cattle Rearers Despute
• The Agricultural Development Programme in the
  State also assists to settle disputes within the
  Fadama areas.
• Apart from all these mechanisms women opinion
  leaders encourage women to pacify their husbands,
  reminding them that they and their children are
  the prime targets during conflicts.

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• Conclusions
• Most conflicts arise from competition for use of
  land, water and grazing resources.
• This has to do with a combination of factors
  principally resulting from a deficiency in the
  overall national agricultural development
  strategy.
• In all the strategies, it was observed that the
  traditional method of settling the conflict is
  the most effective of all the methods.
• The CDD to Project Implementation and all
  inclusive LDPs it is hoped that every conflict of
  Fadama Resource use will be reduced if not
  totally wiped out.