Africa: Coffee Crops Are Dying From a Fungus With Species-Jumping Genes - Researchers Are 'Resurrecting' Their Genomes to Understand How and Why

AllAfrica

February 18, 2026

Analysis - For anyone who relies on coffee to start their day, coffee wilt disease may be the most important disease you've never heard of. This fungal disease has repeatedly reshaped the global coffee supply over the past century, with consequences that reach from African farms to cafe counters worldwide.