Conference

International Colloquium on (Agro)gropastoralism in Africa: Current dynamics and perspectives

At the International Colloquium on (Agro)gropastoralism in Africa, SPARC will co-lead a regional dialogue to better understand the causes of, and find solutions to, conflict in drylands.

Event date and time

Cattle standing together in an outdoor cattle market with figures blurred in background — One of the largest cattle markets in Mali occurs every Saturday at a market about one hour away from Bamako - Image by Romel Jacinto - CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

SPARC will join its partners to lead a regional dialogue at the International Colloquium on (Agro)gropastoralism in Africa, in Saly, Senegal, from November 12 to 14.

The regional dialogue, on ‘Deteriorating security, increased climate risks and uncertain geo-political relations: cross border agropastoralism in transition’, will be led by SPARC with partners the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict and Migration, Acting for Life, and local partners RECOPA, UDOPER-AD, GEVAPAF-CIDeLS, CLIP and APAPE-PH, and pastoralist groups on November 12.

At a series of events and roundtable discussions during the regional dialogue, SPARC will:

Highlight its evidence on the causes of farmer-herder conflict in dryland regions of Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Kenya, including the role of women and youth in these conflicts and the impacts on them;
Showcase evidence co-produced with its partner the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict and Migration to develop a preliminary research framework to better understand the underlying factors that lead to farmer-herder conflicts;
Present initial results from its ongoing research into how local natural resource management (NRM) initiatives, including ‘conventions locale’ in Mali, can contribute to conflict resolution;
Share research on the fragility of land tenure security in Marsabit, Kenya; and
Highlight the key role of collective tenure and decision-making to support pastoralist resilience.

Key speakers will attend the colloquium, including Bio Goura Soulé, from Ecowas, Aminata Correra, from the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), Igshaan Samuels and Burmaa Dashbal, from the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, Saverio Krätli, Researcher and Visiting Fellow at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, Oumarou Modibo, from the Association for the Promotion of Livestock in the Sahel and Savanna (APESS) and Blamah Jalloh, from the Billital Maroobè Network.

To register for the conference, sign up here.