Coffee crops throughout Central America are being hit hard by a widespread fungal infection known as coffee leaf rust. The outbreak of the disease, which begins by attacking the leaves and can eventually kill the entire coffee plant, could lower the region's total coffee harvest by as much as 20 percent in 2013. The loss is expected to reach a whopping US$600 million in value. IFPRI has followed this important developing situation for several months, and Maximo Torero, Director of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division, recently contributed to an article on the subject in IFPRI's Insights Magazine.
Response to the outbreak, says Torero, must be carefully thought out by both farmers and governments. As laborers and small farmers experience a drop in income due to decreased production, governments will need to step up efforts to link them to social safety net programs such as temporary work programs or transfer programs.
In addition to protecting farmers from the immediate effects of the outbreak, steps will also need to be taken to rebuild the coffee sector and improve prevention efforts in order to stop future outbreaks before they start. While fungicides can be used to control coffee leaf rust, farmers must be better trained on how to use fungicides appropriately, says Torero. A more long-term approach should include improving farm management through such things as contract farming arrangements in order to help farmers improve their prevention practices and grow more resilient crops.
Watch an interview with Torero on the coffee leaf rust problem on CNN-Espanol.
Update: June 12, 2013
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has provided several technical documents to help countries in the affected region implement strategies to control the disease and rebuild the coffee sector.
English
The Coffee Rust Crisis in Mesoamerica: Causes and Appropriate Responses
IICA’s Contribution to the Efforts to Combat Coffee Rust in Central America
Spanish
La Crisis del Café en Mesoamérica: Causas y las Respuestas Apropiadas
El Aporte del IICA al Combate de la Roya del Café en Centroamérica
Additional countries (Haiti, Mexico and Peru) are also taking steps to institute preventive measures in association with PROMECAFE.
IICA and PROMECAFE have announced a new radio series on combating coffee rust.