Cornell Partners with World Coffee Research to Launch Coffee Improvement Program

Cornell University and World Coffee Research (WCR) are rolling out a new program focused on improving the resilience and productivity of coffee smallholder growers worldwide.

Backed by more than $5 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Coffee Improvement Program aims to address the growing production challenges faced by coffee farmers while strengthening vital global coffee supply chains.

More than 12 million smallholder coffee farmers globally, each farming on less than 5 hectares (approximately 12 acres), are responsible for producing 60% of the world’s coffee. Despite their essential contributions, these farmers are increasingly at risk due to climate change and limited agricultural innovation. Coffee trees planted today will be exposed to the effects of the climate crisis over their 30-year lifespan, endangering both the farmers’ livelihoods and the broader coffee supply chain.

The five-year program, based in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, focuses on breeding tools to enhance disease resistance and improve quality evaluation. A targeted case study will focus on strengthening seed systems for inclusive market access to improved varieties.

The new coffee program follows the recent $25 million investment from USAID to ILCI to develop tools, technologies and methods for public plant breeding programs in countries that are committed to improving their own food security and nutrition. In addition to the coffee program investment, ILCI could receive up to $9.5 million in additional funding.

Vern Long, CEO of WCR, said the strategic public-private partnership brings ILCI’s cutting-edge expertise in crop improvement tool development to the coffee industry’s investments in global coffee breeding. This program will foster resilience of coffee farmers worldwide, as well as ensure a diverse supply of coffee for the industry.

“Coffee is an integral part of the global economy, employing 2.2 million Americans and contributing $343 billion to the U.S. economy alone. Ensuring the resilience of coffee smallholders is essential for both local economies and global supply chains,” Long said. “This collaboration with Cornell and the Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement will accelerate the development of the next generation of coffee varieties, benefiting both smallholder farmers and the coffee industry.”

“Public-private partnerships like this are critical to help develop resilient plants that produce the high quality and varied flavor profiles consumers expect,” said Monique Oxender, chief corporate affairs officer at Keurig Dr Pepper and member of the board of directors of WCR. “We encourage even more collaboration to close coffee’s long-standing innovation investment gap and bring innovative solutions to scale.”

Highlights of the partnership include:

• Development of breeding tools: The program will develop tools to increase the precision and speed of coffee breeding, with a focus on identifying genetic markers for coffee berry disease and coffee leaf rust, two critical diseases that threaten coffee yields. Additionally, high-throughput evaluation tools for sensory quality in both Arabica and Robusta varieties will be created to ensure that new varieties meet global market demands.
• Capacity strengthening: National coffee breeding programs in nine coffee-producing countries will receive cutting-edge tools and training to enhance their breeding efforts and improve efficiency, ensuring a quicker response to climate and market challenges. Capacity development activities will be focused on scientists from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
• Seed systems case study: Limited access to high-quality seeds and plants is one of the primary challenges coffee farmers face worldwide, and a barrier to ensuring that newer and better varieties reach farmers. A focused effort will create a tool to assess seed supply and demand dynamics, ensuring inclusive access to high-quality planting material for smallholder farmers. In alignment with ILCI’s focus on inclusive adoption, scaling and markets, this effort will accelerate the delivery of improved coffee varieties through more accessible seed systems. The tools developed will address challenges common to seed lots across all coffee-producing countries, and offer insights for global technology scaling.

“At the Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement, we’re committed to developing cutting-edge tools, technologies, and methods that can be applied across a diverse range of crops, from fast-growing annuals to long-lived perennials like coffee,” said Stephen Kresovich, ILCI director, professor of plant breeding and genetics at SIPS, and the Robert and Lois Coker Trustees Chair of Genetics at Clemson University. “This partnership exemplifies our mission to equip breeders with the innovations they need to deliver resilient, high-performing varieties to farmers, ensuring their sustainability in the face of changing climates.”

The Coffee Improvement Program builds on the coffee industry’s Innovea global Arabica coffee breeding program, launched in 2022, and will extend to a new Robusta breeding initiative in 2025. By combining with ILCI’s global network of breeders and cutting-edge research tools, the program is poised to modernize coffee breeding and ensure smallholder farmers’ access to high-performing varieties that meet the demands of the future.