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Jean Marie Mantou has dedicated thirty years of her life to the tax service in Burkina Faso. However, the sixty-year-old man has not yet included rest in his schedule. After retirement, he became a farmer. Portrait.
Sitting under a mango tree with two old friends, Jean Marie Mantou is a modern-day “dervish”. Here, these pensioners come together to enjoy a good time, discussing everything but nothing. However, this “grinning” atmosphere is only a moment’s pause for Jean Marie Mantou. As a farmer and breeder, wintering is a year-round presence for him. With boots on his feet, a work vest on his head and a hat on his head, he supervises the work of his colleagues all day long.
Surprisingly, despite his advanced age, this old man, in addition to walking thousands of kilometers every day, is responsible for tapas. It was on Burkina Faso’s National Road 6, just before the toll booth, in Pamnoghin, in the commune of Komsilga, that we found him on his agro-pastoral farm. He travels the 18 kilometers several times a week to go to work and escape what he calls “city stress.”
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Jean Marie Mantou and his friends sitting together drinking tea
Reconversion is ready
Mr. Mantou was a tax official before choosing to become a full-time farmer and breeder. This transformation, while surprising to some, is the fruit of a long-buried passion and a desire to give new meaning to life after years of public service. “Oh no, it’s not difficult for me because for retirees, you have to identify projects ten years before retirement. At this point, when you retire, things are less complicated,” he said while feeding his poultry. He told us that the most difficult thing at the beginning was finding a suitable space for the activity and securing this space. “I’m in a small village and you have to be careful with the locals because you can come and take the land, whether you are or not. So I had to secure the land and even get the ownership of the land,” the farmer explained. For him, this passion he has now is the fruit of years of poverty. “Deep in my heart, there has always been a desire to return to the land. Besides, this activity can feed a few people on its own. »
Back to Basics: Natural Transition
For our pensioner, retirement does not mean an end, but a new beginning. Jean-Marie has always been attracted to nature and rural life. In his opinion, life is cyclical and our habits always catch up with us. “Since primary school, we have been herding with our brothers and the shepherds from the village. So it’s a return to basics,” he explains, adding that farming is an activity that everyone in his generation knows. His choice was also dictated by nature’s generosity. For him, in addition to the economic benefits, plants and animals are also living creatures that return the love and care given to them. He also thinks that many people understand this, but the land issue is a problem.
Farmer plowing the field with his colleague
A thriving farm
Jean-Marie’s farm is a model of animal and agricultural diversity. It covers a large area combining cereals, vegetable and fruit crops and animal farming. “I started timidly, with just a few chickens and fruit trees,” he recalls. “Today, we raise cattle, chickens, guinea fowl, pigs and sometimes fruit and vegetables depending on the season.” One of the characteristics of his farming is that he gives priority to local breeds of chickens. It must be said that Jean-Marie Mantou is a conservative. Despite the patience required for this kind of farming, the civil servant turned farmer does not intend to incorporate foreign breeds of chickens into his farm.
It was a choice he made because he thought the local chickens were better. But as far as other animals were concerned, in order to increase production, he realised the need to give priority to mixed breeds to improve productivity. “For example, a local cow can’t produce more than three litres a day. A crossbred cow, if fed well, can produce ten to fifteen litres a day,” he explains.
This agro-pastoral activity has expanded over time, allowing it to be free from need. According to him, the secret of this continuous growth is his frequent presence on the farm. “In agriculture and animal husbandry, you have to be present at all times. The staff is sometimes difficult to manage, so to make up for the shortage, you need to work at least three times a week. When you come, you can’t sit on the head; you have to visit, guide, do it yourself, otherwise it won’t work,” the farmer confessed. He is also committed to passing on the flame of agro-pastoralism to his children.
Former civil servant works as breeder
Not without difficulties
The transition from bureaucratic life to agro-pastoral life was not without its challenges. Jean-Marie recalls the initial difficulties with a smile. “There was so much to learn! Managing a farm is very different from managing an office,” Mr. Mantu points out. However, the methodical mind he developed during his career has served him well. “I applied strict management principles to the farm and it really worked. People only see the results because they don’t see the sleeplessness and sometimes financial blockages at the beginning,” the farmer tells us. But the retiree believes that where there is a will, everything is possible. He is also glad to have saved money early on to start this project. “It’s not just the pension that makes starting a business on the farm possible,” he quips.
A meaningful life
Jean Marie Mantou’s farm has benefited more than just him. It has become a gathering place for those in the neighbourhood, providing employment and training for local young people. “I want young people to see that agriculture has a future,” he says. “We need a new, innovative and passionate generation to continue cultivating our land,” because, according to him, agriculture, like any other field, is constantly evolving and transforming. He therefore urges those who want to start to do so early. Especially for workers who intend to retrain after retirement, he recommends considering the idea and being prepared. “Every sunrise, I know that I’m going to do something that means something to me. I identify with this life choice and it has greatly alleviated my boredom and the idea of experimenting. It’s a challenging life, but also very satisfying,” he says.
The least we can say is that Jean-Marie Mantou is a worker. This is also the opinion of his old friends who often accompany him on the farm. The latter are full of praise for their friend and consider him a role model for their generation. “My friend Mantou is a man who is very kind to me. He always listens to his neighbors and he will not hesitate to help you if you are in trouble. He is a man with a big heart,” said Ousseini Compaoré, one of the permanent members of “Smile”.
Also read: Burkina Faso: Clark Lundgren, friend of wild animals
Background on Older People and Retirees in Burkina Faso
According to the latest census report on the elderly and socio-economic occupations in Burkina Faso, 68.9% of the elderly are unemployed. Of those employed, 23.9% are engaged in agriculture, forestry, etc. This strong pillar confirms the importance of this main sector for Burkina Faso.
As for those of retirement age, as of December 31, 2023, the dashboard of the Ministry of Civil Service, Labor and Social Security recorded 1,832 departures, of which 70.4% were men. This figure is almost the same as in 2022, when there were 1,838 departures, a slight decrease of 0.3%. The stability of these figures shows that the number of agents reaching retirement age remains constant from one year to the next. Most of the retirees are from agents in general status, accounting for 88.5% of the departures. This category includes a wide variety of positions and illustrates the dominance of this status in the public service. The number of retirees increased by an average of 6.4% per year between 2019 and 2023. This continued growth can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as the aging of the agent population.
INSD 2019 National Population Census Occupational Distribution of the Elderly
Retirement age limit for public servants in Burkina Faso There are differences according to the category of each agency. By professional category, the largest number of middle managers, representing 38.5% of the departures, can be explained by the fact that this category brings together an important part of the age pyramid of the civil service, reaching retirement age at the same time. In contrast, the number of departures of law enforcement officers is 224, representing 12.2% of the workforce, making it the least represented category.
These retirees, like Jean-Marie Mantou, often stay active by carrying out projects that allow them to contribute to social development, especially in an important sector such as agriculture. Jean-Marie Mantou’s story is therefore the story of a successful transformation, of a man who knew how to listen to his heart and transform his passion into a thriving reality. His farm, which he nicknamed “The Shepherdess”, is a symbol of tenacity, passion and commitment, proof that work has no age.
Farida Tiobiano
Lefaso.net
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