From Assessment to Restitution: A Participatory Process on Water Tenure for Pastoral Use in Senegal

In the pastoral areas of Senegal, water is much more than a vital resource: it structures mobility, shapes coexistence among different users, and contributes to community resilience. It is around this central issue that, between late January and early February 2026, three local restitution and validation workshops were held to review the results of the water tenure assessment in the pastoral sector, under the project “Water and Food Security Initiative for Africa” (IESA – II) implemented by FAO with financial support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

“These workshops represent a key step in the FAO’s water tenure assessment guide. They make it possible to link technical analysis with the voices of local actors,” emphasized Mr. Lamine Samaké, expert and regional focal point of the project during the restitution workshops.

According to FAO, water tenure refers to the set of formal and informal rules that govern access to water, defining who can use it, under what conditions, for which purposes, for how long, and with what responsibilities. This definition is presented in the water tenure assessment guide developed by FAO under the KnoWat project, which was implemented in Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Rwanda. Lessons learned from these experiences contributed to the design and implementation of a subsequent initiative, the ScaleWat project, currently being implemented in Thailand and Colombia.

Giving a voice to those who experience mobility

Organized in Ndioum (Podor), Kaffrine, and Tambacounda under the leadership of the Réseau Billital Maroobé (RBM) Senegal, the workshops brought together herders, local authorities, technical services, community leaders, women, and youth. All shared the same objective: to collectively examine, discuss, and validate the results of the water tenure assessment.

“For once, we’re not being presented with a finished report. They’re asking us whether it truly reflects what we experience,” said Mr. Diouf, representative of the Hydraulic Service during the workshop in Kaffrine.

The discussions confronted the study’s findings with local realities: access to boreholes, ponds, and other water points; customary rules; periods of tension; and community-led initiatives for coordinated water management.

Working session with local stakeholders in the departure zone, in Ndioum (Podor). ©FAO/LamineSAMAKE

Three areas, one participatory dynamic

Each area contributed its own perspective:

• In Podor, the starting zone for transhumant herders, discussions focused on securing strategic water points.
• In Kaffrine, a transit zone, participants highlighted rising pressures linked to competing uses.
• In Tambacounda, a receiving zone, debates emphasized the importance of local dialogue to prevent conflicts exacerbated by overgrazing and the arrival of transhumant herds.

“Mobility is not the problem. The problem begins when water is insufficient and access is not clear or shared,” summarized a technical services agent.

Key figures from the local workshops

• 3 zones covered: Ndioum/Podor, Kaffrine, Tambacounda
• 3 local restitution and validation workshops
• 2 days per workshop → 6 days of participatory dialogue
• Around 30 participants per site
• 90+ local actors involved, including herders, women, youth, local authorities, and technical services
• 9 days of field missions (29 January – 7 February 2026)

From restitution to ownership

Beyond presenting results, the workshops enhanced the technical services’ understanding of relevant legal texts and fostered collective ownership of the conclusions and recommendations. Participants formulated concrete proposals to strengthen local dialogue and improve governance of pastoral water resources.

“The discussions allowed us to learn about legislation from other sectors, because usually we only know the texts that apply to our own domain,” noted Ms. Faye, Head of the Departmental Service of Kaffrine.

“If these recommendations are validated here, we will be able to advocate for them with the authorities,” emphasized Mr. Samba Mamadou Sow, President of RBM Senegal in Ndioum.

A consensus emerged: the assessment’s conclusions were locally validated, understood, and recognized as a decision-support tool.

Permanent water source for animals in Sadio Boulou, Tambacounda department. ©FAO/LamineSAMAKE

Codifying Local Good Practices: A Need for Equity in Access to Water for Pastoral Use

Pastoralism has its own specificities that must be considered. Pastoral communities hold valuable local knowledge, including norms and moral agreements that govern access and management of pastoral resources—elements that legislation would benefit from better integrating.

“At Namarel, discussions with the president of the Forage Users Association (ASUFOR) revealed that draught animals (horses and donkeys) and stray animals have free access to water. The former due to their central role in transhumance, the latter because their owners cannot be identified,” explained Dr. Papa Faye, socio-anthropologist for the project. These social norms are important but may be difficult for private operators to accept within a delegated public water service model, where profit-seeking does not align with forms of free access tolerated by community-based management. However, these practices must be recognized and valued within regulatory texts and pastoral water concessions.

Similarly, Dr. Faye highlighted that “the moral agreements governing the management of so‑called sacred ponds, such as the Boye pond near Gniby, must be incorporated into the regulatory framework.” Prohibitions on cutting trees around the pond or burning deadwood within it contribute to water resource sustainability and environmental preservation.

On the political, legal, and institutional level, Dr. Moustapha Ngaido, environmental law specialist, emphasized the plurality of texts since the 1980s, including the water code, the livestock route decree, and especially the pastoral code adopted in 2023. This new text defines pastoralism and most related terms. It guarantees pastoralists' priority use rights in their home territories, regulates transhumance, specifies the conditions for impounding animals, and emphasizes alternative conflict‑resolution mechanisms.

According to Dr. Ngaido, “we can now say that Senegal has a text on pastoralism, but it must be disseminated and the necessary implementing decrees must be adopted.”

A Direct Contribution to IYRP Priorities

By emphasizing secure water access, pastoral mobility, and community participation, these workshops align closely with the priorities of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), particularly the theme “Mobility, land and water security.”

“When water is secure, mobility becomes a strength, not a source of conflict,” summarized a participant during the workshop in Tambacounda.

A key step toward more inclusive governance

This experience demonstrates that sustainable governance of pastoral water cannot be built without the active involvement of the communities concerned. By transforming a technical assessment into a tool for dialogue and collective validation, the IESA–II project lays the foundations for more legitimate and effective actions.

“Water is our path. If it is well governed, our future is more secure,” concluded a pastoralist during the Tambacounda workshop.

Temporary water source for animals in Gniby, Kaffrine region. ©FAO/LamineSAMAKE