Abstract
This article describes the various relationships that transhumant herders maintain with different actors during their journey. To this end, data were collected from 52 transhumant randomly selected from the transhumance trails. The main data collected relate to the social organization of mobility, forms of access to pastoral space at host sites, the nature of interactions with local stakeholders and the roles of support structures in the transhumance process. The results indicate that during their stay in a territory, transhumant herders maintain various relationships with hosts, namely information-seeking, monetization for access to pastoral infrastructures, purchase of fodder, contracting for exploitation of crop residues or contracts to park oxen in the fields after harvest. They also maintain relationships based on clientelism with state structures, including the Territorial Agency for Agricultural Development (ATDA) and the chief veterinary post or the Municipal Water, Forestry and Hunting Section (SCEFC).
Keywords: Social networking, transhumance, reciprocity, Banikoara, Benin