Western Africa

From 2010-2020, Nigeria experienced a sharp rise in violence propagated by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the northeast region and escalating inter-group conflict between farmers and Fulani pastoralists in the north-central region. Boko Haram’s violent attacks led to states of emergency in both 2011 and 2013; and while that group has dominated the news, conflicts between Fulani pastoralists and settled agricultural communities are often more deadly.

How households respond to systemic shocks—food price volatility, seasonal fluctuations in agricultural production, conflict, pandemics, and extreme weather events—can play an important role in long-term food security, economic stability, and resilience at both the household and the societal level. A new project paper from the CGIAR Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration finds that in Mali, the coping mechanisms households resort to in the face of such shocks are often high-risk and reactionary.

Sustainable agricultural development has long been heralded as a vital pathway to alleviating poverty and hunger in Africa, where smallholder farming predominates across diverse landscapes and local conditions changing due to climate impacts and other factors. Sustainable intensification (SI) approaches—tailored to local conditions—offer a range of farming techniques designed to improve growing conditions, yields, and measures of well-being including food security.

Pastoralism has long been a hallmark of the cultural, social, and economic landscapes of the Sahel and West Africa, sustaining the livelihoods of over 20 million people. This age-old practice contributes nearly 15% to the GDP of Sahelian countries, serving not only as an economic mainstay but also fostering peace and resilience within communities. However, the sustainability of pastoralism is increasingly threatened by various external pressures, making robust global support essential to help the region adapt to the changing conditions.

On January 28, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will lose three of its founding members—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—comprising 16% of its population of 424 million and 7% of its GDP. Labeled “Sahelexit” by some commentators, the decision to leave ECOWAS was first announced a year ago by the three countries’ trio of military leaders and is now poised to legally take effect.