Coffee Research in 2024 Focused on Climate Change, Quality and Human Health 

The vast multidisciplinary world of coffee-related research expanded on all fronts in 2024, yet much of it can be reasonably assigned to one of three categories: green coffee sustainability in the face of climate change; understanding coffee quality; and human health. Depending on your perspective or position, one or two of these categories might seem more important than the other/s, yet all three captured the attention of academic researchers this year. Continuing DCN’s 2024 Year in Review, here’s a look at some of the biggest coffee-related research news in 2024. For all the latest coffee research, subscribe to the DCN Newsletter.Green Coffee and Sustainability ResearchResearchers Explore High-Elevation Robusta as Arabica ReplacementThe results of a five-year multi-location field trial in Brazil suggest that robusta grown at high elevations might be a suitable replacement for arabica, which is facing existential threats on a global scale due to climate change… read moreStudy Shines New Light on the Complex Arabica Coffee GenomeResearchers in Italy say they’ve shed new light on arabica coffee’s large and complex genome, which may ultimately help breeders seeking desirable traits such as high quality and disease resistance… read moreValue Chain Study Explores How to Make Coffee Work for Smallholder FarmersNewly published research reinforces the idea that participation in the specialty coffee market has greater potential to improve small family farmers’ incomes and livelihoods. But there’s a catch… read moreScientific Review Calls for Standardization in Coffee Life Cycle AssessmentsA new systematic review of 34 previous studies on the environmental impact of green coffee production from seed to cup calls for more consistent methodologies, more detailed reporting and increased transparency among researchers… read moreBreeding and Genetics Study Traces Arabica to Prehistoric TimesResearch commissioned by Nestlé suggests that the arabica coffee species was birthed 350,000-600,000 years ago through a natural mating between two different coffee species in the wild forests of what is now known as Ethiopia… read moreStudy: Coffee Has High Potential to Combine Conservation and ProductionAs agricultural goods go, coffee has a particularly high potential to combine forest conservation, biodiversity and production output, according to a meta analysis published this spring… read moreInside a New Experiment to Find the Climate-Proof Coffee of the FutureAlthough nearly every commodity faces threats from a warming climate, arabica is especially picky… read morePeru Coffee Study Underscores Environmental Benefits of Organic ProductionA study from Peru shines new light on the environmental impact of green coffee production, finding synthetic fertilizers and untreated coffee pulp to be the largest contributors to carbon emissions… read moreMajor FAO Report Reveals Hidden Costs of Coffee ProductionAs coffee prices currently sit at his