Revitalizing the Central American Coffee Sector after the 2012 Rust Crisis Global Development Alliance

About the Project

This project worked to provide Central American coffee producers with the best varietal choices for their 20-year investment and to develop the type of research and development program that would ensure that coffee rust crises will be met with an effective response through appropriate technologies. Secondly, the project assisted the private and public sectors to multiply the best varieties and make them available to the producers. This activity included identification and up-scaling of various seed and seedling multiplication venues, including tissue culture, classic, micro-cuttings, and grafting operations to ensure adequate volumes of seed/lings for renovation schemes. The project worked to link the producer to the seed source with appropriate financing and technical assistance.  The project secured superior, higher-performing, resistant material from around the world, tested the material against local varieties, and advanced the best varieties to farmer evaluation and commercialization. And in order to build the capacity to respond to Central American-specific production constraints and to grow their unique place as a major supplier of quality coffees, the project supported a multi-stakeholder high-tech breeding program for outstanding coffees.