Giving a dam: Cultivating peace in Côte d’Ivoire

Adam Ouattara and Makongo Traoré have four children and a home on the edge of Torla village in Côte d’Ivoire. He herds cattle. She grows vegetables on a small plot nearby. For years, the dry season pitted their two livelihoods against each other.As grazing land and water points dried up, Mr. Ouattara and other herders have had to push their cattle farther from the village, often straight through cultivated fields.Damaged crops led to disputes with farmers, a familiar dry-season strain across much of northern Côte d’Ivoire, where seasonal pastoral movement and expanding farmland increasingly compete for the same ground.“When resources become scarce, everyone is trying to protect their livelihood,” said Mr. Ouattara, who has led the local herders association since 2021, representing pastoralists in disputes and community talks.Changing the toneA rehabilitated agropastoral dam, completed this August, is changing that math. The dam now holds more water and releases it more reliably through the dry months, for livestock and irrigation alike.For Mr. Ouattara, the shift shows up in fewer confrontations. “Today, we sit together and discuss,” he said. “There are fewer conflicts.”For Ms. Tra...