Long Disappeared, Coffea Stenophylla Could Be A New Hope For Coffee Farmers

Ilustrasi Kopi. (Wikimedia Commons./Matthew Henry, via Burst by Shopify)

JAKARTA - Coffea Stenophylla has not been seen in the wild since 1954 and has not been widely cultivated for nearly a century. Until a group of research teams found specimens of this plant in a forest in West Africa in 2018.

Long lost, this coffee plant was found again in an expedition to Sierra Leone by researcher Dr. Davis and Professor of Agroecology at the University of Greenwich Dr. Jeremy Haggar. Both are assisted by the NGO Welthungerhilfe, the Sierra Leone Forestry Department, development specialist Daniel Sarmu.

The research appears in a new paper published April 20, 2021 by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Greenwich University, CIRAD (French Agricultural Research Center for International Development) and Sierra Leone.

Most of the world's high-class coffee lovers enjoy drinking Arabica which is threatened by rising global temperatures. However, Stenophylla can thrive at 6C above the average temperature preferred by coffee plants.

Increasing global temperatures and extreme weather threaten coffee farming in a number of regions. However, it is believed that the 'return' of Stenophylla will impact the hardy coffee industry with superior flavors.

coffea stenophylla. (Wikimedia Commons / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz)

Stenophylla thrives in hot tropical regions, only 400 meters above sea level, native to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. A vigorous plant, considered drought tolerant.

"Ensuring the coffee supply chain to deal with climate change is critical. Coffee powers a multibillion dollar global industry, supports the economies of several tropical countries, and provides livelihoods for more than 100 million coffee farmers," said Dr Aaron Davis, lead author of the report. .

"Finding coffee species that thrive at higher temperatures and have extraordinary tastes is a once-in-a-lifetime scientific discovery, this species could be critical to the future of high-quality coffee," he continued.

Coffee is one of the global trade commodities. 125 million people depend on coffee for their livelihoods worldwide. Meanwhile, 80 percent of the coffee sold is grown on farms smaller than two hectares across Africa. In other parts of the world, the future of coffee farming is seriously threatened.

With a crop threatened by climate change, this rediscovery of Coffea Stenophylla will relieve many coffee farmers in more ways than one.

"On average, smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone earn less than £ 100 per year from coffee production. Thus, rediscovery of this native coffee species may ultimately offer some of the world's poorest farmers the opportunity to grow crops at a fair price," concluded Dr. Haggar.