Re:Co 2017: Coffee Conservation Strategy

Dr. Sarada Krishnan is Director of Horticulture and Center for Global Initiatives at Denver Botanic Gardens where she is responsible for directing the design and maintenance of the horticulture displays and collections, and for developing and leading global projects.

Sarada has a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from India, where the focus was on tropical horticulture. She has a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from Colorado State University, with a research focus on the propagation of native Colorado flora specializing in plant tissue culture. Her doctorate research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, focused on the conservation genetics of wild coffee (Coffea spp.) in Madagascar.

Sarada owns coffee plantations in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. She is a faculty affiliate with Colorado State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. She serves on several local, state and national boards. In December 2016, Sarada was nominated to serve on USDA’s National Genetic Resources Advisory Council. In collaboration with Global Crop Diversity Trust and World Coffee Research, she serves as the coffee expert in the development of the Global Strategy for Conservation of Coffee Genetic Resources that was released in July 2017.