It is a well established fact that the global coffee industry lacks a functioning seed sector, and instead operates on an informal seed sector: producers rely on seeds from neighbouring farms with no accurate knowledge of the coffee varieties they are planting, or their agronomic potential. This leads to significant cultivation challenges and barriers in the long-term.

One of the foremost steps to address this gap rests in access to, and cultivation of, healthy and disease-free plant material.. In partnership with RD2 and Lavazza Foundation, Qima Foundation leveraged Qima's extensive work in identifying and cataloguing coffee varieties, and established a state-of-the-art nursery operation – the first of its kind in Yemen. The nursery successfully delivered 70,000 plantlets to producers in its inaugural year and has the capacity to provide over 150,000 plantlets annually. Notably, in the first year alone, more than 35,000 plantlets were utilised to replace ageing coffee trees, which has positive implications for productive outcomes.