Climate Change, Security Risks, and Conflict Reduction in Africa A Case Study of Farmer-Herder Conflicts over Natural Resources in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Burkina Faso

The environmental impacts of climate change represent challenges to the societies and are anticipated to contribute to the destabilization of their human security, endangering ways of life of human-beings and inducing conflicts. Vulnerable societies are likely to see a surge in conflicts and violence happen. However social, economic and political circumstances mediating environmental changes are fundamental and determine whether the societal challenge will be a conflictive one.
In Western Africa, major environmental changes are expected and the region hosts especially vulnerable population groups (i.e. herders and farmers). Political factors might contribute to determining the occurrence, escalation or reduction of conflict between those groups. The influence of integration policies, of the fairness of land tenure, and of decentralization and participation possibilities on conflicts is studied in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Burkina Faso.