West African Transhumance in the Face of Climate Change

Cross-border transhumance in West Africa, a pastoral practice, involves moving millions of cattle, sheep, and goats from the Sahel to the coastal savannas of the Gulf of Guinea each dry season, before they return with the rains. A cornerstone of the regional economy, livestock farming accounts for up to 44% of agricultural GDP; it relies on three corridors recognized by ECOWAS (West, Central, and East) and involves three categories of stakeholders, from owners to hired herders. But this age-old mobility is now being disrupted by climate change: shifting isohyets, longer dry seasons, and erratic rainfall are disrupting routes shaped by generations of observing the sky. Simon Ganlossi's book, which grew out of a master's thesis defended in Moscow in 2024 and draws on his personal experience in the Mono region of Benin, explores in three parts the foundations of transhumance, the tensions it generates (conflicts between farmers and herders, environmental degradation), and avenues for regional regulation aimed at a more sustainable and shared management of pastoral resources.