De la caserne aux champs de Goudiry : le pari agricole du colonel Ismaila Sarr
The winds of change are blowing across the agricultural plains of eastern Senegal. In Goudiry, Ismaïla Sarr's land stretches out, fertile, between rows of peanuts and neatly bundled millet stalks. Under the October sun, the retired gendarmerie colonel directs the work with a steady hand. This Monday, October 27, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock, Dr. Mabouba Diagne, visited the farm as part of the monitoring of the 2024-2025 agricultural season.
Colonel Sarr's fields offer a glimpse into the renewed vitality of the region. On his plots, peanuts, corn, sorghum, and millet grow side by side. Oilseeds play a central role, with an average yield estimated at 1.285 tons per hectare. The man, who has chosen to dedicate his retirement to farming, sees this activity as a civic duty. Addressing the authorities, he emphasized that "agriculture is a sector of resilience in which the entire population, and especially retirees, must participate."
A former officer, he speaks of a vocation born from many years of service in rural areas: "We spent our entire careers in the gendarmerie, which, as everyone knows, is competent in rural areas. This allowed us, even as young officers, to see the importance of agriculture."
"It's an organized distribution, a sufficient distribution for everyone."
Back on his land, he now relies on rigor and method: "It's true that it may seem like a somewhat difficult undertaking, but you just have to get your hands dirty. Agriculture is the same, you start with a donkey, but if you really don't get discouraged, you'll end up with tractors."
The supplies, long criticized for their delays, are now available on time. This change, according to him, is the result of better organization and rigorous monitoring by the technical services and the gendarmerie. "It's an organized distribution, a sufficient distribution for everyone," he says.
Minister Mabouba Diagne, for his part, sees Ismaïla Sarr as a model of discipline and commitment. "The reason I insisted that people like the colonel be accompanied, even though I no longer want to give tractors to individuals, is that I dared to rely on retired uniformed personnel because they are disciplined and have received rigorous training," he emphasizes.
On this occasion, he announced the upcoming creation of a food sovereignty brigade: "A brigade requires uniformed personnel," he explained, while believing that military discipline can strengthen agricultural efficiency.
“(...) harvests are not produced in an office”
The minister mentioned the role of partner institutions. He stated: "The ministry's teams are doing a brilliant job. And let's not forget the DRDR, the SDRDR, Isra, and Ancar. For the support, it's the ministry's combined efforts that have delivered these kinds of results."
For the 2025 campaign, peanut production is expected to exceed 900,000 tonnes, an increase of more than 200,000 tonnes compared to the previous year.
“I said that 2024 was our year zero, because I don’t create statistics. I leave that to the technical teams to do their work,” the minister explained. He reiterated that “harvests aren’t produced in an office” but “by ensuring that certified seeds, in sufficient quantity and quality, are distributed to the right places.” Improving soil fertility and distributing fertilizers are among the priorities. “We are accelerating soil preparation, phosphate application, and organic amendments,” he elaborated.
Colonel Issmaila Sarr, for his part, aspires to go further. He envisions establishing a year-round farming operation to cultivate the land throughout the year. The minister welcomed this ambition and announced the creation of a Cooperative for the Use of Agricultural Equipment (CUMA), with the former officer at its helm. "Because while you have certainly been given a tractor, I will instruct the Regional Directorate of Rural Development (DRDR) to organize a CUMEN (a cooperative for the use of agricultural equipment) to allow not only you to cultivate your plots, but also all the farmers in your vicinity," he declared.
"After three years, Colonel, you won't need us anymore, because…"
Following the same logic, a "Tractor Helpline" branch will be set up in Goudiry to share equipment and facilitate access to mechanization. The minister also mentioned the possibility of subsidizing agricultural services in the 2026 budget. Supporting formalized farmers is another area of focus: "After three years, Colonel, you won't need us anymore, because you'll be able to secure funding," he assured them.
Dr. Mabouba Diagne finally launched an appeal for the mobilization of the defense and security forces to address the water challenge. "I remain absolutely convinced that universal access to water for farmers" represents an essential step. According to him, "with the discipline of the defense and security forces, if each of the country's 525 rural communes has four telescopic boreholes reaching the aquifer, you can irrigate the entire country."
Moustapha TOUMBOU and Abdoulaye SECK
Commentaires (9)
Exemple à suivre !
Leçon a suivre pour toute la population
Respect mon Colonel 🫡
Good job.
Au moins lui il produit quelque chose.
On nous tympanise avec ces ournalistes là qui n ajoutent rien à la production nationale.
Fort avec les faibles
Faible avec les fort.
Contrefort avec les faibles
Fort avec les contrefort
BON TRAVAIL
DU COURAGE.
🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳
Champ de 2,5 hectares a Diogo après mboro jumelé avec celle de anta Babacar ngom
Prix : 1 800 000 par hectares
Infos et vidéos : 7 7 3 7 7 8 1 4 5
🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
Sachez que le Cl SARR est en terrain connu.
Mes respects mon colonel salut depuis Garage Beinteigne vous reconnaîtrez !
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