Rediscovered’ Coffee Could Boost Farmers’ Livelihoods
Scientists have rediscovered rare wild coffee species in West Africa with tolerance to high temperatures and fine taste, potentially setting the region on course to staging a comeback in the global coffee industry, a study says.
The rediscovery of ‘lost’ Coffea stenophylla in Sierra Leone after years of searching, the scientists say, could be a game changer in an industry currently dominated by Coffee arabica species, which faces threats from climate change. C. arabica is popular because of its superior taste but, not only does C. stenophylla has an equivalent taste, it can also grow in harsher temperatures.