A new phytopathology greenhouse for West & Central Africa
In Bambey, at the heart of Senegal’s groundnut basin, a phytopathology and crop improvement greenhouse, jointly managed by Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA) and CIMMYT, is ready to accelerate the development of improved crop varieties for millions across West and Central Africa.
Inside Senegal’s phytopathology greenhouse set to accelerate crop improvement across West and Central Africa
In Bambey, at the heart of Senegal’s groundnut basin, a phytopathology and crop improvement greenhouse, jointly managed by Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA) and CIMMYT, is ready to accelerate the development of improved crop varieties for millions across West and Central Africa. The 1,384 m² facility, built through Crops to End Hunger (CtEH), implemented by CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow and funded by Germany through GIZ, is the largest single CtEH investment to date in the region.
Its mission: help breeders stay ahead of climate-driven diseases and deliver improved crops into farmers’ hands, faster.
Building a modern hub for crop improvement
The new greenhouse will enable breeders to understand and overcome the diseases threatening crops in a warming climate. With six controlled-environment chambers, misting systems for humidity control, and strict biosafety protocols to contain pathogens, the facility can reproduce disease conditions found in farmers’ fields, without spreading them.
In Bambey, scientists will be able to inoculate seedlings with the fungal pathogens most prevalent in Senegal and neighboring countries, evolving faster due to climate change. That controlled exposure helps identify which plant lines show strong resistance, that is to say those that can later be developed into improved varieties.
The facility will support a portfolio of priority crops fundamental to food and nutrition security across the region:
- Sorghum, grown on 15.2 million hectares in West and Central Africa and among Senegal’s top cereals.
- Pearl millet, covering 14.4 million hectares, and Senegal’s most widely cultivated crop.
- Groundnut, grown on 8 million hectares and a key income source for Senegalese farmers.
- Cowpea, maize, rice, sesame, fonio, and more, whose breeding teams operate from Bambey in collaboration with CGIAR and national partners.
For crops such as groundnut, the benefits are immediate. Groundnut crossing is delicate: flowers are small, seeds can be blown away by wind, and successful crosses are labor-intensive. Conducting this work indoors, on benches at a comfortable height and under stable temperatures, can increase success rates from 20% to nearly 70%. For breeders, that translates into more crosses, more precision, and better varieties down the line.
Faster breeding for a changing climate
The Bambey greenhouse offers another essential element for improving crops: speed.
In the field, breeders may only be able to grow one season per year – two with good irrigation. Inside a controlled facility like Bambey’s, sorghum and groundnut can be cycled three times annually, and pearl millet up to four. This increases the rate at which breeders improve crop generations by more than 50%, shortening the time it takes for farmers to benefit from improved varieties.
With 30 hectares of research fields surrounding the greenhouse, an irrigation reservoir nearing completion, and supporting infrastructure such as a soil sterilization and processing unit, Bambey is one of West and Central Africa’s most advanced integrated breeding research stations.
Bambey’s greenhouse impact will be regional
Although located in Senegal, the Bambey greenhouse is designed from the outset to serve the broader region. Through the Africa Dryland Crops Improvement Network (ADCIN), ISRA and CIMMYT collaborate with national research institutes in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Chad, and Cameroon.
The new greenhouse will generate hundreds of improved lines each year for testing across this regional network. The varieties selected from these lines will offer:
- Higher and more stable yields
- Improved tolerance to drought and heat
- Resistance to fast-evolving diseases
- Better nutritional quality of grains and residues
- More income opportunities for farmers, especially women and youth.
The greenhouse will also function as a training hub, giving graduate students and young scientists hands-on experience in modern breeding and phytopathology techniques. This CtEH investment strengthens not only crops but also local scientific capacity, an essential pillar for lasting crop breeding impact.
Germany’s longstanding commitment to food security
Germany’s partnership with CGIAR and CIMMYT stretches across decades and continents, from supporting women farmers in Afghanistan, to strengthening small-scale mechanization systems in Namibia, to modernizing wheat breeding in Nepal and Ethiopia. The Bambey greenhouse stands within this tradition of long-term, strategic support for agricultural research and innovation.
Through its leadership in Crops to End Hunger, BMZ, via GIZ, has played an important role in modernizing public plant breeding globally. During CtEH Phase II (2023–2025), GIZ served as the sole funder, enabling 14 competitively selected CGIAR subprojects to upgrade breeding facilities, build capacity, and create foundational tools that make breeding faster and more efficient. The investment reached USD 15 million, spread across the globe, CGIAR Centers and national partner.
This support reflects Germany’s recognition that agriculture is central to global stability, health, and prosperity. By helping countries develop disease-resistant varieties, modern breeding also reduces reliance on chemical inputs, supports climate adaptation, and strengthens rural livelihoods.
What’s next?
As the facility is inaugurated, ISRA, CIMMYT, CGIAR, and partners across West and Central Africa will benefit from the ability to study pathogens safely, accelerate breeding cycles, generate thousands of data points, and train a new generation of scientists.
The Bambey greenhouse is a long-term investment that will enable productive, sustainable, and climate-smart agriculture for years to come, in Senegal and West and Central Africa.
***
This work contributes to CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow Science Program. Written by Julie Puech.