Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
''Robusta'').Varieties ofC.arabicareached the Americas in the earlyeigh-
teenth centuryand formed the basis for production in the French colonies
of San Domingue (Haiti) and Martinique. The collapse of exports from
San Domingue following the Haitian Revolution contributed to an in-
crease in Brazilian coffee exports in the early nineteenth century. Brazil's
dominant position in the world market also resulted from outbreaks of
coffeeleafrust(Hemileia vastatrix)onarabica coffee farms in India and
Ceylon in the 1860s. Some growers in Asia abandoned coffee production
inresponsetothedisease;othersconvertedtorust-resistantRobustavari-
eties cultivated in various parts of Africa.
However, the New York Coffee and Sugar Exchange banned the im-
portation of Robusta beans as part of its drive to standardize coffee qual-
ity. The ban effectively impeded the cultivation of rust-resistant species
in Latin America.
58
Consequently, most coffee growers in the Americas
planted rust-susceptible varieties of arabica through the first half of the
twentieth century. For example, just twoarabica varieties dominated cof-
fee production in Costa Rica from the 1850s to the 1930s.
59
However, for
reasonsthatremainunclear,leafrustdidnotraisealarmsinLatinAmerica
untilthe1970s.Eventhen,outbreaksinBrazil(1970)andNicaragua(1976)
did not create problems on the same scale and intensity as they had else-
where in the world.
60
Nevertheless, the threat of leaf rust, along with the
lifting of the ban on Robusta imports in 1960, prompted coffee growers
in many parts of Latin America to adopt new varieties in the late twenti-
eth century.
61
A rising number of agrochemical inputs often accompanied
the conversion to new varieties. However, Arabica coffees still constitute
75-80 percent of world production.
62
Coffee growers in Latin America,
then, shared a tendency with banana and sugarcane producers to culti-
vate a limited numberof varieties for mass markets. However, disease epi-
demics do not appear to have played a direct role in altering coffee pro-
duction/consumption dynamics.
In California, the drive toward standardization also prompted fruit
growers to stake their fortunes on a handful of varieties. For example, by
the 1920s, 80 to 90 percent of California's pear crop consisted of Bart-
letts, a favored variety due to its appearance, shipping qualities, and early
harvest. Just two varieties of oranges (Washington Navel and Valencia)
dominated the orchards of the growers belonging to the California Fruit
GrowersExchange.
63
ThearidityoftheCentralValleyreducedthedangers
posed by fungal pathogens, but herbivorous insects proved to be another
story. Between 1860 and 1920, planters introduced hundreds of trees and
vines to California in the hope that they would ''acclimatize'' to their new
