News

WCR undertook crucial work in 2019 to advance our Nursery Development Program. Before nursery training programs begin, program workers typically conduct a baseline assessment of the seed and nursery production systems in a location. In 2019, WCR conducted seed sector analyses in countries with particularly difficult and disorganized seed production systems, including Mexico and the Philippines. The findings pave the way for a better future.

This week, Tim Schilling, founder of World Coffee Research and president of WCR Europe, received the 2020 Sustainability Award from the Specialty Coffee Association in the Sustainability Champion category. The winners will be honored at the digital version of Re:co Symposium on Thursday, July 16, at 11:15 a.m. Pacific time.

On June 21, WCR hosted the webinar “Unlocking Sustainability’s Collaborative Advantage,” which covered what it means to build a strategic sustainability portfolio and explored some of the difficulties and opportunities therein.

As a child, Ivan Ssembajwe, a young coffee farmer from the plush countryside of Luwero, Uganda, would keenly watch his grandmother and mother tilling the land day in and day out to grow crops for sustenance and income. With every changing season and passing year, Ivan’s fascination and passion for coffee farming grew as he observed the humble coffee seedlings flourish into mature trees bursting with crimson cherries.

In early 2020, WCR undertook a wide-ranging listening effort to collect input on current and emerging priorities for coffee agricultural R&D amid a rapidly evolving sustainability landscape. Nearly 1000 people, from farmers to roasters to national researchers, participated. The result are summarized in a new report and will inform the development of WCR’s upcoming five-year strategy and program plan.