Most of the world's crops have research and development that supports their growth, viability, and efficiency. Coffee is no exception. Moreover, since the beginning of the 21st century, it has become one of the most popular studies for agricultural crops, and today there are already more than 10,000 studies of various ranks, formats and focuses. In this 2-part article, we will cover the most, in our opinion, important research programs conducted with coffee, studying its various aspects and helping farmers.
1. One of the most frequent participants in research is an organization created specifically for this purpose — World Coffee Research (WCR, World Organization for coffee research). It is a non-profit research organization funded from various sources with a budget of millions of dollars per year. One of the most active programs for financing the organization's activities is WCR Checkoff. Every person or organization that buys coffee can contribute by donating to the WCR budget via Checkoff. So, when buying coffee, the buyer can add a certain amount of donation for each kilogram of the product they buy, green or fried. Contributors are Roasters in several Western countries around the world.
2. Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network, coordinated by WCR. The program brings together a number of coffee-producing countries and works to improve coffee selection and accelerate genetic improvements for yield, quality, and resistance to climate change, pests, and diseases. Funded by 27 member countries.
3. Cornell University, in collaboration with WCR and USAID, has a multi-year program aimed at improving the sustainability and productivity of coffee, which develops breeding tools for coffee plants.
4. Crop Trust works to support the long-term preservation of genetic samples of coffee as a biological crop (for use by future generations). That is, it creates a Bank of coffee plants and preserves viable samples.
5.The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service has a number of ongoing programs to create coffee varieties that are highly resistant to pests, diseases, and climate change. The development center is based in Hawaii.
6. The University of California, Davis coffee Genome Project for a detailed study of coffee genetics. It is believed that knowing the complete genome of coffee can help in developing breeding programs and improving coffee cultivation.
7. International Coffee genome network (ICGN). It brings together scientists around the world who study the genetic and molecular basis of coffee's characteristics, which are important for its quality and sustainability. Individuals can contribute to these developments through financial assistance, participation in seminars and conferences, and personal research initiatives.
8. Coffee biotechnology research in Brazil. A number of programs are being implemented to genetically improve coffee and develop cloned seedlings using somatic embryogenesis to accelerate the spread of new plants and use genetically successful plants without the risk of their spontaneous mutations in the process of development from the seed.
9. The Coffee Kids program aims to finance and otherwise support young farmers from different countries and regions of the world who grow coffee to start and maintain the prosperity of their businesses. The program offers training, mentoring and financial support to a new generation of coffee producers, focusing on the development of entrepreneurship and leadership skills of farmers. Everyone can make their own financial contribution as a donation through the program's website.
10. The Coffee Trust works with coffee farmers around the world, as well as finances projects in the fields of health, education and sustainable agriculture.
Read more in the second part of the article.
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