Global agricultural goods merchant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has announced a US$50,000 donation (about A$64,500) to World Coffee Research (WCR) to boost coffee sustainability and support coffee farmers.
WCR is a non-profit collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it.
The program is funded and driven by the global coffee industry, guided by producers, and executed by coffee scientists around the world.
“We are very happy to support World Coffee Research in its efforts to address complex problems such as low yields, climate change impacts and barriers to quality,” says Markus Reis, Head of LDC’s Coffee Platform.
WCR’s program is complementary to LDC’s sustainability initiatives, Reis says, because it promotes best farming practices in order to achieve long-term, positive impact across the entire coffee value chain.
“We will only be able to enjoy quality coffee in 30 years’ time if farmers can generate a decent and sustainable revenue from their coffee activity,” he says.
“Louis Dreyfus Company has a long history of promoting sustainable livelihoods for small producers,” says Timothy Schilling, CEO of WCR. “This support offers help to producers exactly where they need it: the development of new, high-yielding coffee varieties with excellent cupping quality, which are vigorous enough to stand up against climate change, drought and disease threats.”
LDC’s approach to coffee sustainability is based on two pillars. First, it works to increase the production of certified coffee. Second, the company increasingly supports sustainability efforts, working with industry, NGOs and governments on project-based initiatives.
Image credit: World Coffee Research
