It is fashionable these days to blame any natural phenomena on global warming. With this in mind we ask a question. Is coffee leaf rust due to climate change? This is a pertinent question as Arabica coffee production has been devastated in several nations in the Western Hemisphere due to coffee leaf rust. There is a strong argument that temperatures are up and there certainly is a high incidence of leaf rust, la rolla in Spanish, devastating coffee crops. Over two thirds of coffee consumed worldwide is Arabica coffee. The other common variety, Robusta, is resistant to leaf rust but generally considered to be an inferior coffee. Let us take a look at the history of coffee leaf rust and efforts to control it such as with Colombian rust resistant coffee. La Rolla Coffee leaf rust is a fungal disease. It wiped out coffee plantations in Asia in the middle of the 19th century. The country of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) was a coffee producer before the leaf rust drove planters to grow tea! The disease spread from the East Indies to South Asia and Africa and eventually arrived in the new world, almost a century later around 1970. Today coffee leaf rust threatens the livelihoods of coffee growers and workers throughout Central America. Due to foresight and hard work a country such as Colombia has produced a couple of leaf rust resistant strains over the last quarter of a century and greatly reduced the incidence of the plant disease in that country. Our original question was this: Is coffee leaf rust due to climate change? If that is the case you need to make the case for climate change in South Asia, the East Indies, and East Africa more than a century ago! Dealing with Coffee Leaf Rust Leaf rust kills organic coffee crops as well as regular coffee. The basic problem with coffee leaf rust is that when there is a big infestation the planter needs to remove all plants, treat the soil, and replant. This takes five years to produce a crop with new plants. In addition, if the planter simply chooses to use effective fungicides he loses his organic coffee certification for three years or more. The cost issues are such that leaf rust not only threatens coffee growers in general but also threatens to drive organic producers out of their niche. Is coffee leaf rust due to climate change? This is not an issue for the small grower. Finding rust resistant strains, treating outbreaks, and making a profit to support the family are the important issues.

1. Is Coffee Leaf Rust Due to
Climate Change?
By: www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

2. It is fashionable these days to
blame any natural phenomena on
global warming. With this in mind
we ask a question. Is coffee leaf
rust due to climate change?
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

3. This is a pertinent question as
Arabica coffee production has been
devastated in several nations in the
Western Hemisphere due to coffee
leaf rust.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

4. There is a strong argument that
temperatures are up and there
certainly is a high incidence of leaf
rust, la rolla in
Spanish, devastating coffee crops.
Over two thirds of coffee
consumed worldwide is Arabica
coffee.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

5. The other common
variety, Robusta, is resistant to leaf
rust but generally considered to be
an inferior coffee. Let us take a
look at the history of coffee leaf
rust and efforts to control it such
as with Colombian rust resistant
coffee.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

6. La Rolla
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

7. Coffee leaf rust is a fungal disease.
It wiped out coffee plantations in
Asia in the middle of the 19th
century. The country of Ceylon (Sri
Lanka) was a coffee producer
before the leaf rust drove planters
to grow tea!
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

8. The disease spread from the East
Indies to South Asia and Africa and
eventually arrived in the new
world, almost a century later
around 1970. Today coffee leaf rust
threatens the livelihoods of coffee
growers and workers throughout
Central America.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

9. Due to foresight and hard work a
country such as Colombia has
produced a couple of leaf rust
resistant strains over the last
quarter of a century and greatly
reduced the incidence of the plant
disease in that country.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

10. Our original question was this: Is
coffee leaf rust due to climate
change? If that is the case you need
to make the case for climate
change in South Asia, the East
Indies, and East Africa more than a
century ago!
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

11. Dealing with Coffee Leaf Rust
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

12. Leaf rust kills organic coffee crops
as well as regular coffee. The basic
problem with coffee leaf rust is
that when there is a big infestation
the planter needs to remove all
plants, treat the soil, and replant.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

13. This takes five years to produce a
crop with new plants. In
addition, if the planter simply
chooses to use effective fungicides
he loses his organic coffee
certification for three years or
more.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

14. The cost issues are such that leaf
rust not only threatens coffee
growers in general but also
threatens to drive organic
producers out of their niche. Is
coffee leaf rust due to climate
change? This is not an issue for the
small grower.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

15. Finding rust resistant
strains, treating outbreaks, and
making a profit to support the
family are the important issues.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

16. Help Is on the Way
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

17. In the coffee producing nation of
Colombia, the workers at the
Cenicafé have found a cure for la
rolla. Cenicafé is a research
organization funded by the
Colombian Coffee Growers
Federation - the folks who bring
you Juan Valdez coffee .
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

18. In the early 1970’s coffee leaf rust
was found in the Americas. In the
early 1980’s Cenicafé started work
on producing a Colombian leaf rust
resistant coffee.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

19. The Colombian leaf rust resistant
coffee comes in two
varieties, Colombian and Castillo.
The first is a cross between an old
Colombian variety, Caturra, and a
rust-resistant strain from Southeast
Asia, the Timor hybrid.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

20. Castillo is an offshoot of further
cross breeding of the first
Colombian leaf rust resistant coffee
strain. Replanting with Colombian
leaf rust resistant coffee in
Colombia has reduced the incidence
of leaf rust from 40% to 5% from
2011 to 2013.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

21. Is coffee leaf rust due to climate
change? Although the fungus does
better at warmer temperatures it
has been around for a century and
a half. It is always there and ready
to grow and devastate crops with
conditions warrant.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/

22. Replanting with rust resistant
strains throughout the Americas
will probably be the solution to
this devastating disease.
By: http://buyorganiccoffee.org/885/is-coffee-leaf-rust-due-to-climate-change/