Local conventions for natural resource management as tools for peacebuilding in central Mali: Case study in the agro-sylvo-pastoral systems of Sio, Fakala and Femaye Communes, Mopti Region

Local conventions for natural resource management are essential tools initially implemented by the Kedo-Diren project, with the ambition of the Mali Resilient Challenge Fund Program project (MRCFP) to expand them on a larger scale in Central Mali, particularly in the Inner Niger Delta. 

These instruments aim to strengthen natural resource management while playing a role in peace-building in a region marked by insecurity and social and environmental challenges. A study was conducted to better understand the impacts of these conventions. 

The results highlight the multiple contributions of local conventions to peace-building: 

• By facilitating the coordination of natural resources management, they have helped mitigate conflicts between farmers and herders through better communal spatial planning, particularly by rehabilitating and marking pastoral corridors.
• They have enabled communities to develop collective rules and establish effective mechanisms for conflict prevention and management. The management conventions for bourgou resources have played a strategic role.
• They set rules for exploiting this essential resource and have promoted regeneration, supported bourgou cultivation and encouraged income-generating activities.
• These actions have strengthened the resilience of local communities while laying sustainable foundations for the peaceful and efficient management of shared resources.

Read the full report here.