University of Hawaiʻi and Clemson to lead federal program to boost coffee, cacao production
The Coffee and Cacao Innovation Lab will work with small farmers in Hawaiʻi and the continental United States, as well as in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Clemson University in South Carolina have been awarded a federal agreement of up to five years by the U.S. Department of State to co-host and lead a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for coffee and cacao.
They will receive $8 million for the first year.
The Coffee and Cacao Innovation lab is a U.S. university-led collaborative agricultural research program that leverages the advanced capacities of American institutions to meet global challenges in coffee and cacao research. The lab will work with small farmers in Hawaiʻi and the continental United States, as well as in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The lab will work to boost Hawaiʻi’s coffee and cacao production and ensure reliable global supplies to U.S. consumers and companies. This includes breeding varieties to withstand diseases and drought, improving farm management and post-harvest processing, as well as building lasting research capacity in partner countries and producing the economic evidence countries need to guide their own investments in research.
“This is great news for our small local coffee and cacao farms and showcases Hawai‘i’s global leadership in agricultural research,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a news release. “This new federal funding will give local farmers more tools to fight threats like drought and invasive pests and help boost production of Hawai‘i’s world-class coffee and chocolate.”
Parwinder Grewal, dean and director of the UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience and principal investigator of the lab, said it is “designed to transform coffee and cacao science into practical benefits for small farmers in Hawaiʻi, the continental U.S. and around the world.”
More than 99% of America’s coffee and cacao supply now is imported.
“This investment in agricultural research and innovation will play a critical role in securing resilient supplies of America’s favorite beverage, which is enjoyed by two-thirds of American adults every day, supports more than 2.2 million U.S. jobs, and adds more than $343 billion to the U.S. economy every year,” said National Coffee Association President and CEO William “Bill” Murray.
The typical U.S. resident also eats up to eight pounds of chocolate a year, with chocolate generating $28.4 billion in sales and responsible for 700,000 jobs in the U.S. economy.
But the American roasting and confectionery industries depend almost entirely on a stable, high-quality supply from foreign countries. A more resilient global supply, enabled by the innovation lab’s research, will strengthen U.S. security, economic, and trade interests while reinforcing America’s leadership in coffee and cacao research and production, the news release said.
“Coffee and chocolate are two of the joys in life. I am excited for the benefits this funding brings to American growers and consumers,” said Suzanne Shriner, a coffee farmer and the Administrator for Synergistic Hawaiʻi Agriculture Council.
The lab features a world-class consortium of partners, including the University of California, Davis; Michigan State University; the Ohio State University; the Pennsylvania State University; Mars; World Coffee Research; Synergistic Hawaiʻi Agriculture Council; and Coffee Quality Institute and PlantVillage+.
