The Coffeelands Foundation is supporting the efforts of The Coffee Trust to help coffee farmers in the Ixil Region of northern Guatemala recover from the devastating effects of the Coffee Leaf Rust (La Roya).This is the second year that the Coffeelands Foundation has contributed to this project. The Coffee Trust is coming to the aid of over 500 coffee farmers in the region.
Coffee Leaf Rust - La Roya
Using a safe, organic inoculant against the fungus and improving soil quality is the foundation of the Recovery program. Effective Microorganisms (EMs) are a probiotic for plants that help coffee plants take up nutrients while strengthening them to resist dangerous pathogens and pests.
“The La Roya Recovery Project is a safe, organic sustainable strategy driven by coffee farming communities to halt the debilitating effects of the coffee fungus “la roya””
Julio Brito Cedillo, a coffee farmer in Chel, Quiche, Guateamala. Julio lost over 75% of his coffee harvest to La Roya last year. As part of the Roya Recovery Project he expects to triple his harvest this year, still down from his pre-rust days but with the help of others in the program he is learning to improve the health of his plants and secure his future.