FARMER-GRAZER CONFLICTS IN THE NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON: EVOLUTION AND CURRENT CONTEXT

Shei William Kanjoand FonNsoh Michael

1.OVERVIEW OF CROP PRODUCTION AND CATTLE REARING IN THE REGION

1.1.General Overview

According to projections by the National Institute of Statistics, the total population of the North West Region in 2014was close to 2 million inhabitants for a land surface of 17,300 Km2, giving a population density of 115 inhabitants per Km2. Over 70% of this population depends on crop and livestock production for their livelihood, as there are few alternative opportunities of employment and income generation in the region. According to the General Population and Housing Census of 2005 (results published in 2010), the total number of farm families living in the region in 2010 was about 229,000 with 109,693 involved in cash crop production, 185,917 in food crop production, 93,373 in gardening, 96,876 in the growing of fruit trees and 103,270 in livestock production.[1]

1.2.Crop Production in the North West Region

Crop production in the North West Region is essentially subsistent. Despite the growing number of farmers with commercial objectives, the main suppliers of foodstuff in the local markets are subsistent farm families who cultivate food crops for family consumption and sell surpluses to meet their various financial needs. The main annual crops cultivated across the region include maize, beans, rice, cocoyam, yam, cassava, and solanum potato. The main perennial crops include plantain, coffee, oil palm, cocoa and various fruit trees. Market gardening has also gained momentum with the main garden crops being tomato, huckleberry (popularly known as “Njamajama”), ginger, onion, leeks, and various other leafy vegetables and spices.

Coffee used to be the main cash crop of the region, but the fall in the price of coffee in the international market and the suppression of government subsidies has forced the farmers to diversify their main sources of income. Now in addition to coffee, which is still being cultivated in all seven divisions though to a lesser extent, market gardening and the cultivation of oil palm, cocoa and rice, have become important sources of family income for farmers of different parts of the region.

1.3.Cattle Rearing in the North West Region

The Region ranks 3rd in cattle population (after the North and Far NorthRegions) with over 500,000 hectares of grazing land and a total herd size of over 700,000 cattle[2].The cattle rearing system of the region is essentially extensive with pastoralism representing about 95% of the total herd size. This system is characterized by periodic movements between designated grazing land and mixed farming zones (transhumance zones). Movements to transhumance zones occur during the dry season when these zones are better endowed with water, forage and crop residues than the hills. The officially designated transhumance zones of the region are located in Ngoketunjia (Ndop, Balikumbat and Babessi Sub Divisions), Donga Mantung (Ndu, Nwa, Ako and Misaje Sub Divisions), Boyo (Bum Sub Division), Mezam (Bafut and Bali Sub Divisions)andMenchum Divisions (Fungom and Menchum Valley Sub Divisions) etc.

Cattle production in the region has evolved mainly in terms of the cattle population, herding system and ownership:

  • The cattle population of the region has grown to almost double the total cattle population of the whole country in 30 years. During the last 10 years, the cattle population of the region increased by over 60% (from about 425,000 in 2005[3] to about 700,000 in 2015).
  • As concerns the herding system, the main ethnic group involved in cattle rearing, the Mbororo-Fulani people, have evolved from nomadism to a more sedentary lifestyle with movements now occurring only during periods of pastoral resource shortages and for a short duration (3-4 months). Unlike before, transhumance movements do not involve the entire households. In most cases, only hired herdsmen and young male children move with the cattle, and the owners only visit the transhumance areas occasionally to follow up and ensure the wellbeing of their cattle or when there are challenges. A few grazers also practice zero grazing especially for exotic breeds (mostly practiced by non-Mbororo grazers).
  • At the level of ownership, the region has witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of non-Mbororo cattle owners. Some of the grazers in this category are large-scale producers who are sometimes (but erroneously) referred to as ranchers. SODEPA however remains the largest cattle producer in the region followed by the Elba Ranch of Alhadji Baba AmaduDanpulo.

2.THE EVOLUTION OF LAND USE FOR CROP AND CATTLE PRODUCTION IN THE REGION

When cattle rearing started in the North West Region in the early 20th Century (1916), the population density was extremely low and consequently the demand for land was also very low. Crop farmers practiced shifting cultivation while the Mbororo-Fulani cattle herders lived a nomadic lifestyle. In those early years, farmers could access new pieces of land easily as fertile arable land was relatively available for the scanty population. Cattle herders also found new settlement zones as they moved with their cattle, and met with very little or no resistance as they moved.

Over the years, pressure on land has increased due to rapid growth in human and livestockpopulation, leading to increased competition over arable as well as grazing land and related resources. This situation has been aggravated by the shift from coffee to oil palm, cocoa, rice and garden crops as main sources of income for crop farming households.As a result of these trends,drastic changes have occurred in the way both farmers and cattle herders perceive and occupy land. Cattle herders who were formally nomadichave now adopted a more sedentary lifestyle. Shifting cultivation has remarkably reduced as farmers in most parts of the region now find it more and more difficult to acquire new farmland. Gardeners who are now practicing off-season cultivation have become more resistant to leave mixed farming zones to give way for cattle during transhumance periods. Both groups currently perceive land as a scarce resource, and are strongly claiming access as well as ownership rights over the land.

As the cattle herders became more sedentary, they preferred to settle in the fringes of the villages in order to access vast expanses of land for their extensive cattle herding activities. These grazing zones were generally marginal zones that were not attractive to crop farmers. The crop farmers on the other hand continued to occupy and expand their crop production activities in the more arable plains and valleys where they enjoyed relatively high soil fertility and better production conditions such as more gentle topography and the year-round availability of water. In recent years, however, the grazing zones have become more attractive to crop farmers after having been rendered more fertile by cattle manure. With increasing relative shortage and degradation of grazing land and farmland (loss of fertility due to continuous cultivation and use of chemicals in farmland, invasion of grazing land by obnoxious plant species, water shortages…), farmers are increasingly encroaching into grazing land while grazers are also crossing into cropping zones in search of agro-pastoral resources. Competition for these agro-pastoral resources is stiffer especially in transhumance zones.

In addition to this competition between smallholder crop farmers and grazers, land is increasingly being put to other uses by large scale investors (example of the conversion of grazing and farmland into tea plantations in Ndu and Ndawara) and the government (example of the creation of reserves and council forests such as the Ngwo reserve and Fundong Council Forest at Mbongkisu). These other land uses dispossess or deprives the growing farming and grazing population of the land they need.

3.HISTORY OF FARMER-HERDER CONFLICTS IN THE NORTH WEST

The relationship between crop farmers and cattle herders of the North West Region is characterized by a long history of conflicts over land and related resources.

The Mbororo-Fulani ethnic group first arrived in the North West Region from the Adamawa State of Nigeria and settled in the North West Region in the late 1910s. During the subsequent decades, many more Mbororo-Fulani familieswere attracted to the region as it became renowned for its favourable ecological conditions, offering rich pastures and numerous salt springs. They also found that the local population was more welcoming than their crop-farming neighbours of the Adamawa state of Nigeria. Most pastoralists migrated in families or lineage groups, headed by family heads (Ardos)who also acted as their representatives to the existing village communities and the colonial administration.

The British colonial administration supported the influx of Mbororo pastoralists as a means of diversifying the regional economy and augmenting its tax income. Concurrently, the village chiefs also welcomed the pastoralists’ establishment in their villages, as long as they paid tribute and acknowledged their hosts’ territorial and political primacy.

With the relatively low population densities, crop farming and pasturelands were abundant. This implied that newcomers could find land without resistance and farmers who wanted to expand their farms or practice shifting cultivation had little or no problems to find land. As the cattle herding population increased, conflicts started arising, not really as a result of competition over land but due to recurrent crop damage, favoured by the cattle herders’ practice of extensive grazing and seasonal transhumance, and crop farmers ‘practice of shifting cultivation. The crop farmers occasionally responded with public protests and violence (Boutrais 1995/6: 734; Dafinger and Pelican 2006; HarshBarger 1995). In response to the growing conflicts between farmers and grazers, the colonial administration and later on the State of Cameroon started imposing grazing rules (Boutrais 1995/6: 115–18). Grazing land was demarcated from crop farming land and some areas were designated as mixed farming zones where crop farmers and grazers are expected to access resources in turns.

Despite difficulties with the crop farming population, many Mbororo-Fulani cattle herdersbenefited from the favourable ecological environment of the region and prospered over time. The grazing population (and consequently the cattle population) as well as the farming population of the region increased rapidly, and land gradually became relatively more limited. This situation forced the cattle herders to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle and led to changes in the way both cattle herders and crop farmers perceived land. Both groups became more conscious of the economic value and scarce nature of land. This new perception of land seriously influenced the conflicts between the two land user categories. From simple conflicts resulting from cattle trespass into crop farms, issues of identity and land access/ownership rights started setting in thereby complicating the conflicts. In addition to individual conflicts resulting from crop damage and encroachment, more group level conflicts were witnessed. Some of these conflicts degenerated into serious social crises leading to serious loss of property and even human lives.

In the recent history of farmer-grazer conflicts in the North West Region, the most renowned cases have been recorded in Aghem (Wum) in Menchum Division and KedjomKeku (Big Babanki) in Mezam Division and recently Esau in Menchum Division. The historical case of Aghem remains the most popular in the history of farmer-grazer conflicts with serious uprising in 1972 (when women marched naked in Wum), 1973 (when women marched from Wum to Bamenda to protest to the Governor), 1981 (when protests were violent leading to the intervention of forces of law and order) and 2003 (when women organized a lengthy sit-in strike action). The uprising of 1981 led to shocking consequences as many died, many others were injured and property destroyed. The case of Kedjom-Keku was characterized by protests in the 1980s and 1990s and a more serious uprising in 2003-2004. The most recent case, which is gaining in popularity and severity, is the case between the Elba Ranch promoted by Alhadji Baba AmaduDanpulo and the farming population of Esau Village in Menchum Division. Following the conversion of the initial site of the Elba Ranch at Ndawara in Boyo/Ngoketunjia Divisions into a Tea Plantation, the promoter decided to transfer most of the cattle to the ranch at Esu. The co-existence of the farmers of this village and the cattle of the Elba Ranch has since been characterized by tensions. In recent years, this particular case has been the source of social tension. As of now, the local and regional administrative authorities are still seeking a lasting solution to the stalemate. Apart from these three hotspots, less serious uprising have been recorded in other parts of the region over the years.

4.CURRENT FARMER-GRAZER CONFLICT HOTSPOTS OF THE REGION

Presently, farmer-grazer conflicts occur in all seven Divisions of the North West Region, but they are more serious in some parts of the Region. Though clear statistics are not available, the following Sub Divisions have been identified as farmer-grazer conflict hotspots in the region:

Division / Sub Division / Villages/ Communities
Mezam / Santa / Piynin, Akum, Njong, Baba II and Alatening
Tubah / Bambili, Kedjom-Keku, Kedjem-Ketungo
Bali / Koppin, Bosa and Wosing
Momo / Njikwa / Oshie, Ngwo
Mbengwi / Fregant, Sang, Guneku, Acha-Tugi, Njah-Etu
Batibo / Upper-Ashong
Bui / Mbiame / Mbo-Nso, Njaanawa
Kumbo / Tadu, Kingomen, Nkuv, Dzeng
Tatum / MbamSong
Jakiri / Barare, Ntan,Jirim-Nyam
Noni / Lassin, Nkor, Nkowe
Ngoketunjia / Ndop Central / Bamunka, Bamali, Bamesing, Bambalang
Babessi / Bangulan, Babungo, Babessi
Balikumbat / Bamukumbit, Balikumbat
Donga Mantung / Ndu / Ntumbaw, Njirong, Sop, Mbongong, Mboya, Luh, Ngarum, (Njipnchati )
Nwa / Mfute, Ntem , Ngomkol
Mesaje / Dumbu, Akweto
Nkambe Central: / Meyinty, Saah, Jirt,Kungi, Binshua, Konchep, Bih, Mbacam, Binka
Boyo / Bum / Mungom, Konene, Ngunavisi
Fundong / Ajung, Akeh, Achain, Bainjong, Mentang, Mbam, Mual , Mbongkiso and Mbengkas
Njinikom / Yang, Iso
Belo / Djichami, Afua, NjinikijemMbingo II
Menchum / Fungom / Bafmen, Kumfutu, Tchah hill, Kuk, Esu, Weh
Wum Central / Upkwa, Naikom, Kesu

5.CAUSES, DRIVERS AND EFFECTS OF FARMER-GRAZER CONFLICTS

5.1.Causes of Farmer-Grazer Conflicts

Actors generally agree that farmer-grazer conflicts are essentially conflicts over land and related resources (pasture, water etc.). Specific triggers of conflicts between crop farmers and grazers include:

  • Conflicting claims of land ownership or boundary differences
  • Crop damage by stray animals
  • Blockage of cattle tracks (by farmers and other land users)
  • Blockage of water points (by farmers and other users)
  • Encroachment into grazing land (by farmers)
  • Encroachment into farmland (by grazers)
  • Cruelty to animals (by farmers and other stakeholders)
  • Theft of crops (by herdsmen)

5.2.Drivers of Farmer-Grazer Conflicts

Drivers of farmer-grazer conflicts can be defined as those situations, attitudes, actions and all other issues that uphold, promote or aggravate farmer-grazer conflicts. These issues may also render the management of farmer-grazer conflicts more complicated. Key drivers of farmer-grazer conflicts in the North West Region include:

  • Perceptions and prejudices by conflicting parties (for example, some farmers regard grazers as strangers, some grazers regard farmers as inferior, some farmers and grazers hold that all administrative authorities are corrupt etc.)
  • Perception of land by farmers and grazers (most farmers perceive land in terms of ownership while most grazers perceive land in terms of use, though grazers’ perception is gradually changing as their access rights become more and more threatened)
  • Poor awareness and knowledge of the regulatory framework governing access to agro-pastoral resources on the part of farmers, grazers and other key actors (such as officials of relevant technical services, traditional authorities and even local administrative authorities)
  • Inefficient implementation of existing regulations
  • Corruption (some officials responsible for handling farmer-grazer conflicts are corrupt and exploit the conflicts for personal benefits)
  • Weak security of tenure (the official regulatory framework and customary practices do not guarantee the land access and ownership rights of farmers and grazers)
  • Inter-village land disputes (especially when the grazing and/or crop farming activities are located in disputed areas)
  • Poor land use planning (no clear boundaries between crop farming and grazing zones)
  • Dualism of the land tenure system (customary land tenure system implemented alongside official regulatory framework)
  • Insecurity (in neighbouring Nigeria and other regions of Cameroon)
  • Land grabbing by large-scale investors (in plantation agriculture, ranching etc.).
  • Production systems and practices (shifting cultivation by farmers and extensive grazing by grazers)
  • Retaliatory destruction of property by conflicting parties (crops, animals, fences, huts etc.).

5.3.Effects of Farmer-Grazer Conflicts

  1. Human relations

•Promotes mistrust and close gaps for dialogue