The Hemileia vastatrix fungus, “roya” or “coffee rust,” can be devastating when conditions are especially favorable for rapid growth. The coffee rust has increased in 2015 mainly due to climate change. The economic impact is over $2.5 billion per year, along with over 500,000 jobs lost in Costa Rica and across Central America, and an increase of illegal immigration to the USA.

Coffee rust has increased in 2015 mainly due to climate change. The economic impact. In Mexico and Central America coffee yields have dropped in production between 30 to 80%.

BioNovelus, a firm based in Arizona, is fighting against coffee rust with CR-10, an eco-friendly biopesticide, biodegradable and safe to use at recommended dilution. Application of CR-10 does not require special protective equipment (such as gloves, mask, goggles, etc.). The CR-10 formula kills the coffee rust fungus by being sprayed on the contaminated leaf. It also create a protective barrier that will prevent from (re-)infection so that farmers do not have to eliminate plants.

A recent pilot test of CR-10 in Costa Rica showed a significant decrease of coffee rust after 48 hours. Chemical, non-biodegradable pesticides currently used against roya take about eight to ten days to show results, and they often do so at a cost to the soil and ecosystem.

The results thus far are promising in the sense that roya spores are decimated by CR-10. The tests were conducted in five farms at five different elevations, representing the five different climates in Costa Rica. The tests were conducted in partnership with CoopeAgri R.L., a cooperative of 14,000 farmers owning 14,000 hectares plagued by coffee rust losing 50% of their production an equivalent of $11 million in just one year.