A holistic approach to natural resource conflict: the case of Laikipia County, Kenya

TY - JOUR

T1 - A holistic approach to natural resource conflict

T2 - the case of Laikipia County, Kenya

AU - Bond, Jennifer Lauren

PY - 2014/4

Y1 - 2014/4

N2 - This article contributes to the field of natural resource conflict management by investigating the holistic context of a conflict case and argues against a simple resource scarcity-conflict thesis. The article takes point of departure in a pragmatic world view of conflicts in Laikipia County, Kenya through a likert-type questionnaire survey (N = 352), semi-structured interviews, extensive field notes and participant observation. Using an adapted version of the Unifying Negotiation Framework (UNF) to conduct an in-depth context analysis, the article shows the multitude of ecological, social and institutional factors which impact on the conflict complex. The critical features of the conflict from the perspective of pastoralists and farmers in Laikipia were found to be related to trust, communication, security, governance, marginalisation and violence. By conducting a thorough conflict context analysis incorporating social, ecological and institutional elements, valuable insights can be gleaned, leading to a more holistic conflict management approach.

AB - This article contributes to the field of natural resource conflict management by investigating the holistic context of a conflict case and argues against a simple resource scarcity-conflict thesis. The article takes point of departure in a pragmatic world view of conflicts in Laikipia County, Kenya through a likert-type questionnaire survey (N = 352), semi-structured interviews, extensive field notes and participant observation. Using an adapted version of the Unifying Negotiation Framework (UNF) to conduct an in-depth context analysis, the article shows the multitude of ecological, social and institutional factors which impact on the conflict complex. The critical features of the conflict from the perspective of pastoralists and farmers in Laikipia were found to be related to trust, communication, security, governance, marginalisation and violence. By conducting a thorough conflict context analysis incorporating social, ecological and institutional elements, valuable insights can be gleaned, leading to a more holistic conflict management approach.

U2 - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2014.01.008

DO - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2014.01.008

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0743-0167

VL - 34

SP - 117

EP - 127

JO - Journal of Rural Studies

JF - Journal of Rural Studies

ER -