Because the coffee industry we love is broken and World Coffee Research are doing something about it.
When Collective Roasting Solutions relaunched as the Ensemble of Coffee, Research and Education (ECRE) in November 2020, we decided to use the opportunity to join the World Coffee Research (WCR) Checkoff Program. Since then, we have pledged to donate to 1c for every kilo roasted at our co-roasting facility to World Coffee Research.That’s 1c for every kilo we roast ourselves, as well as 1c for every kilo roasted by each of our members.
We also administer the Checkoff Program to our members. This means that if you roast at our facility and you want to donate money to WCR, we can take care of the bean counting and admin. Basically, you decide how many cents per roasted kilo you want to donate and we do the rest.
Why do we do this?
We support WCR because the science has been clear for a long time: coffee is in deep trouble.
There’s the lack of genetic diversity among arabica. Then there are the pathogens–fungi, bugs, and nematodes–that attack arabica plants and that have outsmarted many of the pre-existing varieties. And on top of this, the biggest threat of all: the rapidly warming climate.
Climate change is pushing coffee towards extinction
According to Aaron Davis, the renowned coffee biologist and Senior Researcher at Kew, over 123 coffee species, including our darling coffea arabica, are in mortal danger. In fact, research has shown that 60 percent of all coffee species, including our beloved arabica, are under threat of extinction.
Take arabica, for example: When arabica grows outside of it’s temperature and rainfall comfort zone (warm days and cool nights with consistent rainfall patterns), it’s less likely to have the strength to withstand attacks from pathogens, and it metabolises less efficiently.
This is a major problem for arabica and the dizzying number of other threatened coffee species.
It’s not a problem just because biodiversity is great. Having access to a large portfolio of coffee species is hugely important when it comes to fighting diseases such as coffee leaf rust, which has assaulted coffee plants worldwide for decades. The genetic diversity among non-arabica species can be exploited through breeding and used to power-up the very delicious but fragile arabica plant. We know this strategy works because the most successful varieties today, the ones that are most equipped to battle coffee leaf rust and that provide high yields and a tasty cup, owe their pathogen resistance to robusta genetics that have been bred in to toughen up the plant.
But unfortunately, you can’t breed a single disease resistant variety and then hang up your hat. Pathogens evolve and adapt. Evolutionary selection pressures lead whatever nasty thing it is that’s harming your trees to work out exactly what buttons to press, and before you know it, your formerly disease resistant variety is no longer so resistant.
But wait, there’s more….
Coffee’s extinction risk is a big problem, but coffee’s woes don’t end there.
There are deep structural issues relating to how coffee is valued, traded and produced. There is currently a coffee price crisis that is leading many farmers to abandon coffee producing. Low-to-zero profit margins for producers mean that investment in environmentally sound production practices are just a pipe dream for many. And then, on top of that, farmers have to navigate the aforementioned risk of crop failure due to climate volatility or pathogen attacks.
Things ain’t good.
What World Coffee Research are doing about it
It’s impossible for any one organisation or initiative to be coffee’s silver bullet. Instead, different issues must be tackled by different specialists.
World Coffee Research are a non-profit agricultural research organisation and their focus is on improving arabica’s genetic stock. In their words:
Focusing on coffee genetic improvement through work in the lab to identify key genes and genetic markers, and in the field to develop new varieties of coffee, is the most efficient way to ensure the future of coffee. This is one of the cornerstone strategies of our work.
World Coffee Research have taken a multi-pronged approach towards this aim, including safeguarding coffee’s current genetic diversity through seed banks, analysing coffee’s genetics to help guide future breeding, and of course, leading breeding projects using state-of-the-art technologies so that the coffee varieties of the future match both the needs of the producers and the tastes of consumers.
One of WCR’s most ambitious projects is their International Multilocation Variety Trials. Designed to work out what varieties work best in what environments, WCR selected 31 different coffee varieties and planted them in over 40 test plots all over the world (including Australia). Nothing like this has ever been attempted in coffee, and as the results trickle in, it will provide invaluable knowledge regarding which of the varieties that we have at our disposal work best in what environments.
So that’s why we support World Coffee Research.
We believe that WCR are doing crucial work and we’re very proud to support it. You can learn more about our support of WCR here. And if you want to buy coffee from World Coffee Research supporting roasters in Australia , then check these folks out:
NSW: Stitch Coffee, Sample Coffee, Single O
VIC: Market Lane, Square One Coffee Roasters, Blume Coffee Traders
QLD: Blackstar Coffee Roasters
SA: Monastery Coffee
ECRE. Co-roasting, coffee academy, store, and events.
Sydney, Australia. http://ecre.coffee
By Tuli Keidar
