Tag Archives: Colombia

341. A closer look at Colombia’s coffee strike

2013-03-14 Comments Off on 341. A closer look at Colombia’s coffee strike

Last week, Colombia’s government and disgruntled coffee growers reached agreement to end a strike in the coffeelands that was brief but messy, including clashes between coffee growers and Colombian security forces, expressions of solidarity by actors ranging from FARC guerrillas to an ex-president, official allegations of external agitation, and blockades of major highways that led […]

338. Castillo and Caturra, in words

2013-02-26 Comments Off on 338. Castillo and Caturra, in words

Yesterday I shared some data showing how Castillo and Caturra samples performed as part of the baseline survey for our Borderlands Coffee Project.  As I reflected on the quantitative results, which showed a narrow but persistent advantage for Caturra and a slightly higher upper bound, I wondered whether there was a quantitative difference between the […]

337. Castillo and Caturra, by the numbers

2013-02-25 Comments Off on 337. Castillo and Caturra, by the numbers

I recently concluded a series that examined the current campaign by Colombia’s coffee authorities to replace the country’s traditional coffee cultivars with the disease-resistant Castillo hybrid as part of their response to the coffee leaf rust epidemic. As part of that series, I wrote: At the risk of oversimplification, the debate has been framed by […]

336. If coffee leaf rust is a perfect storm, is there a silver lining?

2013-02-18 Comments Off on 336. If coffee leaf rust is a perfect storm, is there a silver lining?

A noted coffee breeder at the French research institute CIRAD has suggested that the coffee leaf rust emergency in Central America is the result of a “perfect storm.”  Is there a silver lining anywhere in those storm clouds?

335. Introducing The Coffeelands Portrait Project

2013-02-13 Comments Off on 335. Introducing The Coffeelands Portrait Project

CRS works with more than 35,000 smallholder coffee farmers in 12 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.  The Coffeelands Portrait Project will introduce you to some of them.  Today’s post explains the project’s origins and approach; today’s inaugural gallery features 10 gorgeous portraits of farmers participating in our Borderlands Coffee Project in Colombia. [slidepress […]

334. The Colombia cultivar question: what we can learn

2013-02-05 Comments Off on 334. The Colombia cultivar question: what we can learn

Over the past two weeks I have written about the coffee leaf rust epidemic that has decimated Colombia’s coffee production, and the response of the country’s coffee authorities, which includes financial incentives for farmers to plant the disease-resistant Castillo cultivar. I have shared the results of a survey we conducted that may bring something novel […]

333. Saving Colombia’s endangered coffee

2013-01-30 Comments Off on 333. Saving Colombia’s endangered coffee

Over the past two weeks, I have been writing about the response of Colombia’s coffee authorities to the current coffee leaf rust epidemic – a massive effort to replace the country’s traditional coffee varieties with the disease-resistant Castillo cultivar.  Today we profile a decidedly more modest effort – our support for farmers who are determined […]

332. Credit for coffee in Colombia

2013-01-29 Comments Off on 332. Credit for coffee in Colombia

Colombia’s campaign to replace its traditional coffee varieties with the new, disease-resistant Castillo cultivar has been the topic of much conversation in recent years in specialty coffee circles.  What few people understand, however, is that Colombia is making coffee farmers an offer that the poorest among them can’t afford to refuse — free money to […]

331. Farmer perspectives on Castillo

2013-01-28 Comments Off on 331. Farmer perspectives on Castillo

The Castillo cultivar has been the subject of considerable discussion and no small amount of controversy in the marketplace in recent years.  At the risk of oversimplification, the debate has been framed by two positions: that of representatives of Colombia’s Federación Nacional de Cafeteros, who insist that Castillo will thrive in the specialty market because […]

330. The origins of the Castillo cultivar

2013-01-25 Comments Off on 330. The origins of the Castillo cultivar

Colombia’s Federación Nacional de Cafeteros is a most remarkable institution.  Among the many achievements of which the FNC is justifiably proud is its long tradition of coffee research.  The Federation’s first annual budget, way back in 1927, included funding for research into coffee production and disease.  In 1938, Colombia established a National Coffee Research Center, […]