Increasing the Resilience of Coffee Production to Leaf Rust and other Diseases in India and four African Countries

 The overriding objective of the project is to build the capacity of institutions in order for them to share improved germplasm between participating African countries and India. Objectives of a more specific nature are: to conduct demand-led applied research for variety evaluation that generates alternative methods for control of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) and other diseases; to deliver new knowledge including CLR resistant germplasm and environmentally friendly chemicals/botanicals to coffee growers, particularly small holders; and to develop a long-term approach to management of coffee diseases in a sustainable manner while increasing the profit margins for small-scale coffee producers. Activities being undertaken under the project are: identification of needs and resources; rural community responses to CLR and other diseases and the sourcing and production of improved genetic material for coffee production; conservation and identification of coffee varieties and disease races; trials with new and existing materials under a range of field conditions, on farms and on field station; developing Scientific Management Information Systems to facilitate faster dissemination; and project management and co-ordination. The project is under implementation in all of the participating countries with good scientific results. The exchange of information and cross fertilisation of expertise among the participating research institutions is proceeding very well and augers well for sustainability of the project results. This research is now being converted into dissemination and extension of the new varieties in the field.