Ecological resilience to coffee rust: Varietal adaptations of coffee farmers in Copán, Honduras

After the post-2011 coffee leaf rust (CLR) epidemic, smallholder farmers in Copán, Honduras, significantly increased their cultivation of CLR-resistant coffee varieties. While both conventional and organic farmers expanded their use of resistant varieties, organic farmers retained more acreage of susceptible varieties compared to conventional farmers. This shift has implications for the specialty coffee market, fungicide use, and agricultural management strategies. The study highlights the adaptive practices of smallholders in response to CLR, emphasizing the need to understand farmers' decision-making processes to inform aid and policy interventions effectively.

Ward, R., Gonthier, D., & Nicholls, C. (2017). Ecological resilience to coffee rust: Varietal adaptations of coffee farmers in Copán, Honduras. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2017.1345033