Cote d'Ivoire: Giving a Dam - Cultivating Peace in Côte d'Ivoire

What the report says

A UN News report distributed by AllAfrica describes how a rehabilitated agropastoral dam in Torla village, northern Côte d’Ivoire, is helping ease long-running tensions between herders and farmers. The story focuses on Adam Ouattara, who herds cattle and leads the local herders’ association, and Makongo Traoré, who grows vegetables nearby. The two households, like many in the area, had been affected by seasonal competition for water and land during the dry months.

According to the report, the dam was completed in August and now stores and releases water more reliably for both livestock and irrigation. That has reduced pressure on grazing areas and helped keep cattle away from cultivated fields, lowering the risk of disputes. Ouattara said community members are now more likely to talk through problems, while Traoré said the steadier water supply has allowed her to expand her vegetable plot and better support her children.

The project is managed locally and supported by the International Organization for Migration, the UN Peacebuilding Fund and partners. The report says the initiative is part of broader efforts in northern Côte d’Ivoire to improve coexistence between pastoral and agricultural communities, where changing environmental conditions and expanding farmland have increased competition for natural resources. In that context, the dam is presented as both a practical infrastructure upgrade and a peacebuilding measure.