Mission Senegal
The development of Artemisia cultivation and agroforestry with fertilizer trees in Senegal is a huge hope for local players and a major development challenge. In February 2025, a Maison de l’Artemisia team spent 10 days in Senegal.
It was the right time to carry out this mission. 10 years after the creation of the first Maison de l’Artemisia in Senegal, and three years after the partnership with Afrique Verte et Fertile and its director Mansour Ndiaye, which led to the successful establishment of three Artemisia Houses in Fanaye, Mampatim and Dialembéré. These three new Artemisia Houses’ combine agroforestry systems based on fertilising plants to restore degraded ecosystems, integrating market gardening to ensure food security for farmers and Artemisia to protect their health (taken as an herbal tea) and save their agricultural production (used as a biospray).
The reintroduction of trees combined with the cultivation of Artemisia has thus emerged as an effective and simple solution to soil desertification, a consequence of intensive agriculture, and at the same time to improve the overall health of populations.
Agroforestry with fertiliser trees creates the ecosystem conditions needed to restore degraded soils. In addition to its impact on the soil, this technique also helps to mitigate climatic parameters such as temperature, humidity and wind. It’s a virtuous system that can be replicated and offers hope for the whole country.
A triple objective
The mission was led by Lucile Cornet Vernet, founder of the Maison de l’Artemisia, Henri de Cossé Brissac, chairman of the association, Mansour Ndiaye, agroforestry expert and director of Afrique Verte et Fertile, and Darling Guidigan, coordinator of the NGO Laudato Si-Maison de l’Artemisia in Banigbé, Benin, and head of West Africa projects, with three objectives:
– organise a future national House of Artemisia to spread knowledge of Artemisia and its One Health vision, as well as knowledge of its cultivation in agroforestry, throughout Senegal;
– visit the old and new Artemisia Houses and the pioneers of Artemisia in the country: those of Tivouane, Fanaye, Mampatim and Dialembere;
– meet people interested in Artemisia (hospitals, traditional medicine centres, farmers’ groups, dairies, abbeys, local councillors, farm schools, NGOs, associations, etc.).
A 10 day mission in Senegal
A journey of more than 2,500 km, a long loop around the country in the North and South via Casamance, which enabled us to meet more than 200 local players, forge links and synergies, share experiences and structure a national vision.
