New crop improvement greenhouse inaugurated in Senegal

Bambey, Senegal, inaugurates new phytopathology and crop improvement greenhouse to strengthen food security in West and Central Africa

Bambey, Senegal — December 4, 2025. The Government of Senegal and the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA), together with CIMMYT and CGIAR, the world's largest agricultural innovation network, of which CIMMYT is a member, have inaugurated a new state-of-the-art phytopathology and crop improvement greenhouse at ISRA–CNRA Bambey. The 1,384 m² facility, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through GIZ as part of the Crops to End Hunger (CtEH) initiative, will strengthen food security in Senegal and across West and Central Africa by accelerating the development of climate-resilient, disease-resistant crop varieties.

The greenhouse is equipped with climate-controlled chambers, a precision humidity system, and a secure system to safely contain fungal pathogens. These features allow researchers to expose thousands of young plants to the diseases most common and most damaging in the region. As climate change increases the spread and severity of crop diseases, this controlled research is essential for identifying plant varieties that can withstand new and evolving threats.

The facility is part of a broader modernization effort at Bambey, which now includes 30 hectares of research fields, a new reservoir securing irrigation water, and a water storage and management system that supports year-round crop experimentation.

The crop research and development work will focus on sorghum, millet, and groundnuts, three essential crops for Senegal and West and Central Africa, as well as other strategic crops such as cowpeas, maize, sesame, and fonio. 

“This new facility will reinforce Senegal’s position as a regional hub in crop improvement and agricultural research,” said Dr. Mabouba Diagne, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock of Senegal. “Climate change is putting enormous pressure on our farmers and our food systems. By developing varieties that better withstand drought and disease, this greenhouse will directly support the resilience and prosperity of millions of rural households, Senegal and beyond.”

Crop breeding involves selecting the best plants, those that naturally show higher yields, better disease resistance, or improved nutrition, and crossing them to create new, improved varieties. Each “breeding cycle” is one round of growing plants, selecting the best performers, and using them to create the next generation.

In the field, researchers may complete just one cycle per year because they must wait for the rainy season. The new greenhouse allows three to four cycles per year, dramatically speeding up the process so farmers can access better varieties sooner.

The Bambey greenhouse will also serve as a training hub for students and young scientists from Senegal and from a regional breeding network covering neighboring countries.

The project represents the largest CtEH investment in sub-Saharan Africa to date, with nearly USD 2 million dedicated to modernizing breeding capacity at Bambey.

“Germany is proud to support Senegal, CIMMYT and CGIAR in building a stronger, more sustainable agricultural future, for food security but also for Senegalese youth” said Casjen Ohnesorge, Head of the Cooperation section at the German Embassy in Dakar. “Improving crop resilience is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty, strengthen food security, and adapt to climate change, while also reducing the need for chemical inputs. This greenhouse showcases our long-standing commitment to agricultural innovation and partnership, which is well illustrated through the Crops to End Hunger initiative.”

Crops to End Hunger is a global initiative launched in 2017–2018 to modernize public plant breeding so smallholder farmers can access improved, climate-resilient varieties more rapidly. During CtEH Phase II (2023–2025), GIZ served as the sole funder, enabling upgrades to breeding facilities, development of advanced tools, and strengthening of scientific capacity across CGIAR.

“Today we are celebrating the inauguration of a major scientific infrastructure for Senegal, for West and Central Africa, and for the entire CGIAR system,” said Dr. Baloua Niebé, CIMMYT Representative in Senegal, speaking on behalf of Bram Govaerts, CIMMYT Director General. “It enables us to accelerate crop improvement research and to generate hundreds of improved lines. This is an essential facility, and I can assure you: it will be used intensively in the years to come!”

The Bambey facility will begin operations early next year following its inauguration, with the first controlled disease screening cycles scheduled for the first 2026 season.

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Main image: Dr. Mabouba Diagne, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock of Senegal (right) and Casjen Ohnesorge, Head of the Cooperation section at the German Embassy in Dakar (left), cutting the ribbon at the commissioning ceremony of the Bambey greenhouse, December 2025. Credit: CIMMYT. Written by Julie Puech, CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow.