News and knowledge

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been asked by Congress to do a feasibility study on establishing a coffee genebank in Hilo, Hawaii. The request comes in recognition of coffee's lack of genetic diversity and economic importance in Hawaii. A report from Greenwire cites the work of World Coffee Research in drawing attention to the need for the long-term preservation of coffee genetic resources.

World Coffee Research has partnered with the Global Crop Diversity Trust to develop a Global Conservation Strategy for Coffee Genetic Resources. The goal of this Global Strategy is to ensure the conservation and use of coffee genetic resources for a positive, sustainable future of the crop and for those who depend on coffee for a livelihood. The current global system has significant gaps and constraints. The strategy lays out six high priority actions to facilitate the transition from the current ‘system’ to a truly global conservation system for coffee.

In 2016, we established trials of 46 new F1 hybrids, derived from crosses between 8 wild Arabicas in the WCR Core Collection and three rust-resistant Sarchimor varieties (Obatá, Marsellesa and IAPAR 59) as well as Geisha.

World Coffee Research is thrilled to welcome Greg Meenahan as our first partnerships development director. Before joining WCR, Meenahan was the Chief Operating Officer of Child Aid, an international aid organization providing social and economic development through literacy.

A major new paper published last month in the journal Nature Plants finds that Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, may lose up to 59% of its coffee lands by the end of the century due to climate change. Some famous coffee regions, like Sidamo, may be lost entirely. However, if decisive action is taken, it would be possible to adapt the country's coffee sector to rising temperatures and lessening rainfall, mostly through relocating coffee areas to higher altitudes.