ICARDA Inaugurates the African Breeding Accelerator

Rabat, Morocco | 16 May 2025 – ICARDA officially inaugurated its brand-new accelerated breeding platform, the African Breeding Accelerator in Rabat, under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, in the presence of high-level institutional representatives, ICARDA board members, and numerous distinguished national and international partners.

Climate change poses a major challenge to agriculture and crop production. The development and adoption of improved crop varieties, better adapted to drought and disease, is essential for food security and climate resilience. However, developing such varieties is often a lengthy and costly process, sometimes taking years or even decades before reaching widespread adoption. This facility is set to revolutionize how climate-resilient and high-quality crop varieties are developed and delivered to farmers, not just in Morocco but across the drylands of Africa and beyond.

“This facility is a launchpad for the next generation of high-performing, climate-smart, market-demanded varieties - tailored specifically to African conditions and to the needs of African farmers. It stands as a testament to what can be achieved when governments, donors, and research institutions come together with a common purpose.” - Dr. Tareq Alzabet, ICARDA Board Chair

“The accelerator is not just a physical building or a technical platform. It is a living laboratory of scientific excellence, innovation, and transformation. It stands as a testament to the power of strategic collaboration between ICARDA and our partners at INRA. Together, we are tackling one of the most urgent challenges of our time: accelerating genetic gains in crops that are vital to the resilience and prosperity of smallholder farmers across the drylands.” – Mr. Aly Abousabaa, ICARDA Director General and CWANA Regional Director, CGIAR

“One of the biggest challenges we face is time—breeders know this well. I’m a breeder myself, and I can say it’s not about money; it’s about time. Today, this accelerator is giving us the opportunity to fast-track breeding programs, saving four to six years. That’s enormous. That’s transformative.” - Pr. Lamiae Ghaouti, INRA Director

 

A Game Changer for Breeding

Traditional breeding methods often take up to 12 years to produce a new variety. With speed breeding, that time is slashed by up to 4 to 6 years. The platform uses high-tech greenhouses, growth chambers, and LED lighting systems, originally developed by NASA, to simulate nearly continuous daylight, 22 hours per day, creating optimal growing conditions year-round. This allows researchers to accelerate the selection and advancement of drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and high-quality crop varieties.

Designed for Impact

The 1,000 m² facility is equipped to handle up to 150,000 cereal and legume plants at any given time. It currently focuses on key staple crops for dryland agriculture: wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil, grass pea, chickpea, and cactus.

Crops developed here undergo rigorous, non-destructive testing for nutritional quality using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS), ensuring they meet the needs of both farmers and end users.

Eco-Friendly and Collaborative by Design

Beyond its cutting-edge science, the platform is also a model of eco-efficiency. It is powered entirely by solar energy. The facility also recovers and recycles water to irrigate green areas and composts all plant and soil residues for reintegration into the production cycle, creating a sustainable loop.

Research at the African Breeding Accelerator is grounded in close synergy with INRA and other national partners across Africa. This connects the scientific work strongly to field realities and creates a direct link with farming communities, which helps identify the most promising varieties and target traits best suited to local climate conditions.

A Major Step Forward for Crop Breeding in Morocco and the Region

This breeding acceleration platform represents ICARDA and its national partners’ renewed commitment to improving the livelihoods of rural communities through cutting-edge scientific innovation. The facility marks a crucial step in transforming research capacity in Morocco and across the continent, projecting agricultural science 20 years into the future. It is a major scientific and technological leap in agricultural research and climate adaptation efforts in Africa and beyond.

50 Years of Agricultural Innovation

The inauguration also marks a double celebration: 50 years of ICARDA and 40 years of a fruitful partnership between ICARDA and Morocco. This historic collaboration continues to bear fruit in support of rural development and agricultural research, as exemplified by the launch of the African Breeding Accelerator.

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The facility is supported by Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, INRA, ONSSA, the CGIAR Research Program on Wheat, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD).