in africa Coffee is an important cash crop for small-scale farmers across East and Central Africa. However, production is severely constrained by pests and diseases which also have an impact on the quality of the coffee that farmers are able to produce. what's the problem? Coffee wilt is an aggressive disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium xylarioides. It has more than halved the earnings of resource-poor smallholder coffee farmers in countries like Uganda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. Coffee is central to these countries' economies and is a major contributor to people's livelihoods. In fact, coffee wilt disease causes yearly losses of around US$9.6 million in Uganda and US$3.8 million in Ethiopia. So it's easy to see how tackling coffee wilt disease could improve the lives of literally millions of people. tackling the disease from all directions To have a real chance of controlling a disease like coffee wilt, a coordinated approach is needed. The programme was therefore divided into four projects: (1) to undertake biological and socio-economic surveys, (2) to develop a long-term breeding strategy, (3) to study the causes, distribution and spread (epidemiology) of the disease, and (4) to disseminate information and provide training to extensionists and farmers. Finding out more about the disease was obviously a priority – and the project's researchers have made a whole range of useful discoveries throughout the course of the project. For example, they've found that there are actually two types of coffee wilt; one that attacks Arabica coffee, and one that attacks Robusta coffee. We are now able to identify Robusta plants that are resistant to the disease in Uganda and Tanzania. In addition, there is promising progress on screening for coffee wilt disease resistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo – making it much more likely that farmers will be able to grow wilt-resistant crops in the near future. Screening programmes are also underway on Arabica coffee in Ethiopia. Project staff have also identified various ways in which the disease is spread from plant to plant, farm to farm, and area to area. It is spread through infected coffee wood – which is an important source of fuel in the region – and through infected soil, coffee seedlings, wind and water. Farm tools used on infected coffee bushes can also carry the disease. KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE controlling coffee wilt disease: boosting coffee production in Africa coffee wilt disease causes yearly losses of around US$9.6 million in Uganda and US$3.8 million in Ethiopia PROJECTS