[adsense] Coffee rust has been devastating farms left and right in Central America, quickly destroying plant's ability to produce coffee cherries and often killing the plant. The epidemic is threatening the livelihood of small farmers and co-ops, and if left untreated it could decrease coffee production by 30-50% within the next couple of years. Coffee farms all over … [Read more...]
What’s Causing All This Leaf Rust?
[adsense] We've all been hearing lately about this gruesome leaf rust that's killing coffee plants in droves throughout Central America and Mexico. The rust is attacking the leaves, causing lesions, and interfering with the plant's ability to photosynthesize. It can also attack young plants' fruit buds. The spores of the fungus are then transported to other plants by … [Read more...]
National Emergency Declared in Guatemala
[adsense] On Friday, Guatemala's president, Otto Molina Perez, declared a national emergency due to the continuing spread of 'leaf rust' on the country's coffee plants. The plant disease has hit almost all other Central American countries, but has wiped out about 70 percent of Guatemala's crop. In an effort to help the situation and the struggling farmers, the … [Read more...]