This is my first post of what I’m sure will be many on the subject of Coffee Leaf Rust- aka “Roya”. I’ve been posting little bits of info through social media, and it’s become the topic which has consumed many of my days lately. I just wanted to share a bit of thinking on the topic, and outline some of the things that are going on out there.

It’s scary, the news about rust. The countries of Guatemala and Costa Rica have declared states of emergency because of the epidemic, and estimates on the reduction of this year and next year’s crops run from 20% to 40%. Fear is running high: coffee people all over the world are wondering- what’s going to happen? What can be done?

First and foremost, the most important thing coffee people can do is educate themselves on the subject of Coffee Leaf Rust, which has been central to the coffee story since the middle of the 19th century. Ever wonder why we call coffee “Java” yet relatively little coffee comes from there today? Coffee rust is the reason: it decimated coffee plantations in Java and resulted in the global center of coffee production moving from there to South America. Coffee Rust- because of its destruction of the once-flourishing coffee plantations of the British colony Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka)- is known as “The Reason the British Drink Tea.” Emma Bladyka of the SCAA wrote this great scientific backgrounder on the subject, which covers much of what is scientifically known about the disease. The always astute James Hoffmann wrote an excellent post outlining the economics of the situation, and asks some great questions about what the future looks like. And, as I’ve said before, Michael Sheridan’s coverage from the Colombian perspective on the CRS Blog is world-class.

I’d like to bounce of these publications a bit, and offer my own bit of perspective. Parenthetically, I should mention- that as James points out- this is exactly why institutions like the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America), WCR (World Coffee Research), origin-country associations and other organizations are so important. And, as director of SCAA’s Symposium, I can tell you that this is EXACTLY what we designed the Symposium for: to be able to help coffee leaders navigate our industry’s path through these treacherous waters.

In that capacity, we’ve added a Rust segment to the Symposium’s program, which will outline reactions, responses, and solutions to the problem of Coffee Rust. This complements a segment we’ve been working on for months, on Coffea genetics- which is a crucial part of this story (more on that in a sec). But first:

Short term reactions, medium-term responses, long term solutions.



As i was writing the description for the Rust segment of Symposium, I realized that there are three layers to the subject of Rust and coffee. Short term, there are the reactions: coffee farmers and coffee farming economies will react in a variety of ways: some farmers will change their agronomic practice, increasing fungicide use or embracing more exotic management principles. Rust-affected farmers will do whatever they can to get through this year, and brace for the next (as Bladyka points out, rust damage often has effects that last two or more years). In the medium term, focus will- and should be- put on good agricultural management and replanting: many farmers will increase fungicide use, but this can have negative impacts and must be closely managed to prevent environmental damage. An increased emphasis will be put on rust-resistant varieties; many farmers have already started clearing their farms and replanting. And this points to the necessary long-term solution of the problem: to address the genetic susceptibility that most cultivated Arabica varieties have to Coffee Leaf Rust.

So, what can we do? First thing we should do is self-educate. Nothing is worse than rumor and misinformation during a crisis. Read the above and what will be forthcoming from reliable sources (I know of a few great Rust-oriented publications coming down the pike). The Symposium will be a great place to learn more.

Second, reach out to your partners. This is a time when the coffee network we’ve worked so hard to create is tested, and when it can show its value. Reach out to your supply network, and see what is needed. Coffee farmers will be needing money to rehabilitate their farms, and only some of it can come from coffee sales.

Third, I know of at least one coffee rust response action already underway (stay tuned for news). This will focus on education, rehabilitation, and prevention of disease. Good agricultural practices are more important now than ever, and during the next few years, farmers will be challenged to learn and enact techniques to help them recover. Plan on supporting these response actions when they emerge (more on this to come).

Finally, be engaged with your coffee institution. SCAA is supporting WCR and PROMECAFE (and others) in organizing a Rust Summit in Central America this spring, helping harmonize and magnify the industry’s response to the outbreak. And, very very importantly, World Coffee Research is engaged in researching and developing coffee as a plant; identifying the genes that make coffee both susceptible and resistant to coffee rust. And this is what I was mentioning before- it’s why we’ve had a Coffea genetics session planned at Symposium this year. Understanding coffee as an organism, and developing its critical genetic resources is the way we can find a solution to this problem. So- this is critical- if you’re not signed up to help WCR do this, now is the time to do it. You can pledge any amount, and you should. Do it right here.

That’s it for today, more to come.