Borlaug Global
Fostering a new generation
of committed hunger fighters.
The BGRI’s global collaboration of scientists, farmers and agricultural research institutions is dedicated to improving genetic gain and optimizing disease-resistance and climate-resilience in wheat. We are an international community of hunger fighters committed to sharing knowledge, training the next generation of scientists and engaging with farmers for a prosperous and wheat-secure world.
Latest News
Global Wheat Health Alliance
CIMMYT and Cornell University are jointly leading a new international partnership to accelerate disease resistance in wheat for vulnerable farming communities in South Asia and East Africa. The GWHA will connect gene discovery, field testing and pre-emptive breeding to help deliver stronger disease resistance in new wheat varieties and hybrids.
Learn MoreFaculty Role at Aarhus University
The Professor in Epidemiology/Pathology for Agricultural Crop Plants position is part of the Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC), which has a focus on plant pathogen biology, epidemiology and disease prevention under variable environmental conditions and climate change. The deadline to apply is 19 May 2026.
Learn MoreKnowledge Center
Explore the collected knowledge of the BGRI community.
For over a decade, the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative has brought researchers together to collaboratively answer the challenges of growing wheat and feeding a growing world. Our knowledge center is a collection of resources created and utilized by our community.
Bring Me ThereBGRI Publications
- First report of Ug99 Wheat Stem Rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici in South Asia
- Protocols for Race Analysis of Wheat Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici)
- DRRW-DGGW Publications, 2009-2019
- Sounding the Alarm on Global Stem Rust
- Final DGGW report from EIAR
- 12 Years of DRRW and DGGW in South Asia
- 2018 South Asia Wheat Report: Status And Opportunities For Wheat Seeds In India, Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan
- Global Research Network Gains Time in the Race Against Wheat Rust
Our History
Deeply rooted in the pursuit of world wheat security
The discovery of the Ug99 (TTKSK) stem rust race in East Africa in 1998 to which over 80% of the world’s wheat varieties were susceptible was a call to action for Dr. Norman Borlaug. Recognizing the vulnerability of smallholder wheat farmers worldwide, Dr. Borlaug mobilized global leaders to confront the decades of complacency that had led to an insufficient number of scientists operating in subpar breeding facilities with limited training resources to tackle the issue.
By establishing the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) in 2005 to support wheat research and meet the threats head-on, the Nobel Laureate was instrumental in launching the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat (DRRW) project (2008-2016), followed by the Delivering Genetic Gain in Wheat (DGGW) project (2016-2020). That legacy lives on through the Accelerating Gains in Maize and Wheat, the Wheat Disease Early Warning Advisory System (DEWAS), and other projects at the forefront of wheat and rust research.
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