The Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association, MBOSCUDA, recently organised a workshop in Kumbo to explore strategies that are likely to curb the persistent conflicts and tensions between farmers and livestock breeders in Bui Division.

Speaking on the occasion, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Bui, Theophile Nzeki, reminded participants that it was imperative for them to seriously tackle the multiple problems plaguing the coexistence of graziers and farmers in the Division.

He said, for peace to reign, it was necessary for all stakeholders to be engaged in permanent dialogue. To achieve this, he said, they must break down the barriers of mutual mistrust.

The facilitator of the workshop, Isaac Maah, drilled participants on concepts like alliance farming, access to and management of agro-pastoral resources and capacity building of farmers and breeders to “inculcate sustainable farming and grazing techniques.”

Maah explained that, through “farming alliances”, crop farmers would benefit from cattle manure to improve their yields, while cattle breeders would, on the other hand, benefit from crop residues to feed their animals. This, he said, was a win-win scenario that should be relentlessly encouraged by all stakeholders.

At the end of the workshop, participants resolved to replicate their experiences, involve more farmers and carry the message of coexistence to the Subdivisional levels.

On his part, the representative of MBOSCUDA, Sali, reiterated that it takes at least two to dialogue and urged both farmers and breeders to shun conflict and embrace dialogue in order to eliminate conflict zones. He pledged that MBOSCUDA would, in the coming days, multiply similar workshops and interact with the grassroots population. He exhorted workshop participants to serve as apostles of dialogue and peaceful coexistence once they return to their respective communities.

The workshop was attended by Mayors, Divisional Officers from Noni, Jakiri and Mven), local officials of Government technical services (Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Water and Energy, traditional authorities, crop farmers and cattle breeders.

MBOSCUDA was created in 1992 to cater for the interests of the Fulani people in Cameroon. Since its creation, MBOSCUDA has carried out numerous projects in education, human rights, agro-pastoral development, adult literacy, health and natural resource management.

MBOSCUDA is guided by its motto; “In search of common ground” that aims at “reducing conflict between indigenous crop farmers and semi-nomadic Mbororo cattle breeders.” According to MBOSCUDA, this conflict arises, mainly, from “the increasing competition over access to natural resources (land and water) that are central to the lives and livelihoods of both farmers and graziers.”