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Project title

Farmer-herder conflicts in Ghana: linkages between climate change, resource competition and food security in rural communities.

Primary Funding Agency

Taighde �ireann-Research Ireland

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Lead Organisation

Mary Immaculate College

Lead Applicant

Not listed

Project Abstract

Farmer-herder relations have been changing over the past decades, particularly in West Africa because of the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change. This has subsequently led to increased migration, commercialisation and individualisation of land, the involvement and emergence of new actors, a change in the mode of livestock ownership, a change in patron-client relations and the �politics of othering� (how particular individuals or groups are seen or labelled as less humans by another group). This research will seek to understand how climate change influences farmer-herder relations and competition for resources in Ghana. By employing a mixed methods research approach (qualitative and quantitative) including focus group discussions, household surveys and interviews, the project will examine extensively how connections are established by farmers and herders not only during the time of conflict, but also in relation to resource access and cooperation in their rural climatic location. Violent farmer-herder conflicts have security implications and are therefore necessary to bring it to the attention of policy makers to take action. Herders move to, from and across borders into Ghana, or internally from one community to the other. As they settle in various communities and conflicts between them and local farmers emerge, more people are engaged in these conflicts, widening their scope with many negative consequences such as loss of lives and properties. Furthermore, despite the growing attention on climate change in conflicts, there are still no clear or definite answer of how climate change can affect security on various levels. Therefore, this research will seek to address this gap by providing empirical understanding of the causal connections between climate change, conflict of various levels of intensity and non-climatic factors such as the strength of the local institutions and national political trends.

Grant Approved

�62,000.00

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

3. Climate Solutions, Transition Management and Opportunities

Start Date

09/01/2024

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/08/2026