This experience was shared during a workshop held in Lomé (Togo) from 29 to 31 October 2019 organised by PEPISAO (Projet Elevage et pastoralisme intégrés et sécurisés en Afrique). It was complemented by amendments from some forty pastoral and agricultural associations from West Africa and Chad. The "Negotiating and securing pastoral resources to prevent conflicts" experience is carried out by the Organisation Professionnelle des Eleveurs de Ferkessédougou (OPEF) created in 2009 in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. OPEF’s objective is to improve the living conditions of livestock farmers and their livestock as well as to promote good livestock farming practices. This experiment in negotiating and securing pastoral resources is being conducted in the north-central part of Côte d'Ivoire in the regions of Tchologo, Poro and Bagoué. It started in 2016 with the support of the international NGO Acting for Life (AFL) through the Support to the Resilience of Agro-Pastoral Systems in West Africa (PARSAO) project. Other pastoralist organisations are engaged in the same process of negotiating and securing pastoral resources in other regions of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the north-east (the Bounkani region by AEBRB) and the north-west (the Kabadougou and Folon regions by AJELAMO). This experience continued in 2018, within the framework of the implementation of Component 3 of the Regional Programme of Dialogue and Investment for Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Sahel and Coastal Countries of West Africa (PREDIP) through the Support Project for Livestock Mobility for Better Access to Resources and Markets in West Africa (PAMOBARMA). PREDIP, which is funded by the European Union, is a project coordinated by CILSS and implemented in partnership with CARE Denmark, Acting For Life, CRSA and the Agrhymet Regional Centre.

This experience was shared at a workshop held in Lomé (Togo), from 29 to 31 October 2019, and organised by PEPISAO (Projet Elevages et Pastoralisme intégrés et sécurisés en Afrique de l'Ouest). It was complemented by amendments from about forty pastoral and agricultural associations from West Africa and Chad. The experience is based on "Using information systems to prevent conflicts related to pastoral mobility"; it is supported by the Réseau Billital Maroobé (RBM). RBM is a network of pastoralist organisations based in 9 West African countries, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad and Togo. The network is expected to extend to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. RBM’s objective is to contribute to the recognition of the right to mobility and the security of pastoral land in order to promote negotiation amongst stakeholders, facilitate the alignment of national and regional regulations and provide arguments for advocacy. The information mechanism set up is entitled: "Observatory of rangeland and the integrity of transhumance and trade corridors for livestock mobility in West and Central Sahelian Africa -OPTIMAOC". This information mechanism is funded under Component 2 of the Regional Dialogue and Investment Programme for Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Sahel and Coastal Countries of West Africa (PREDIP) and is based in Niamey, Niger. PREDIP is a project coordinated by CILSS. In this "OPTIMAOC" information mechanism, there is a system based on sending SMS (short message service) and IVR (interactive voice response) to livestock farmers. This system is led by RBM and started in 2018. Its objective is to rapidly disseminate information to pastoralists. It is being tested in the departure areas of transhumant herders, their home areas, and border areas in the Republic of Benin. Today, this experience is being extended to other coastal and Sahelian countries. Although it is still new, some lessons can be learnt from this experience.