L’elevage pastral face aux politiques colonials, Post colonials et de regionalization dans l’ espace cedeao.

Abstract

L’elevage et l’agriculture sont les deux principales activites humaines de l’espace de la Communautes Economique des Etats d’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO). Mais, la disparite des ressources pastorales entre pays saheliens et cotiers accentue les mouvements de betail a l’interieur de la CEDEAO et occasionne souvent des conflits socioeconomiques entre les pasteurs transhumants et les populations des pays d’accueil. La presente etude vise a (i) contribuer a une meilleure apprehension de la transhumance transnationale en Afrique de l’Ouest, (ii) mettre en perspective cette forme de pratique d’elevage en relation avec la libre circulation des personnes et des biens dans l’espace CEDEAO et (iii) identifier des mesures d’integration de la transhumance transnationale dans cet espace. Elle est basee sur une revue critique des politiques coloniales et post-coloniales en matiere d’elevage. Ceci est complete par une etude de cas dans un echantillon de trois pays dont le Burkina Faso, representant les pays de depart d’une part et d’autre part le Ghana et Togo comme pays d’accueil des transhumants. Les resultats revelent que les politiques coloniales francaise et anglaise, puis post-coloniales, essentiellement basees sur les transformations technico-economiques, n’ont pas totalement reussi a sedentariser l’elevage transhumant. Les mouvements des animaux des pays de depart (Burkina Faso) vers les pays d’accueil (Togo et Ghana) ne sont plus en realite des transhumances Mots cles : Transhumance, politiques publiques, politique d’elevage, CEDEAO Livestock production and agriculture are the two main human activities in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. But the disparity in pastoral resources between sahelian and coastal countries accentuates livestock movements within the ECOWAS region and often causes socioeconomic conflicts between transhumance pastoralists and people of the receiving countries. The present study aims at (i) contributing to a better understanding of cross border transhumance in West Africa, (ii) putting an emphasis on that form of livestock production in relation with the free movement of people and goods in ECOWAS region and (iii) identifying transnational transhumance integration measures in the ECOWAS region. This study is based on a critical review of colonial and post colonial policies in terms of livestock production. This is completed by a case study in a sampling of three countries of which Burkina Faso, representing departure countries on one hand and on the other hand Ghana and Togo as receiving countries for pastoralists. The results reveal that French and English colonial, then post-colonial policies, essentially based on technico-economic development, did not completely succeed in keeping to one place the pastoral livestock breeding. Livestock movements from departure countries (Burkina Faso) toward receiving countries (Togo and Ghana) are no more in reality a seasonal transhumance, but a migrationevasion. The social acceptance of pastoralists in the receiving zones seems to be the consequence of a social anthropological and local politics factors than a technico-economic development. Therefore there is a need to amend livestock production and public policies such as land-use policies in order to harmonize them at the level of ECOWAS region. ECOWAS should further involve itself in the definition of regional public policies and promote the convergence of national policies in terms of livestock production and management of natural resources. Key words: Transhumance, public policies, livestock production policy, ECOWAS.