It is clear to see that the life of a Tico farmer is very ingrained in nature. In Don Guillermo’s lecture he repeatedly mentioned that humans should coexist with the earth and leave as little of a footprint as possible. His lifestyle, and the lifestyle of other Tico farmers, follow this mentality of preservation and conservation. Tico farmers also live very minimalist lifestyles meaning they only use what they need to operate their farms and limit excess. Don Guillermo’s family closely monitors the amount of water it uses to make sure they don’t overuse water and they also recycle and use leftover food as compost as to ensure nothing goes to waste.

Tico farmers face many challenges, one of them being invasive fungi such as red rust or roosters eye. Both of these fungi plague coffee plants and make it very difficult for farmers to grow their crops. They need to closely monitor their fields and create ways to prevent these fungi from spreading. The easiest way to prevent fungi from spreading is by cutting down the coffee plants as soon as they notice fungi. Also, these fungi spread through spores and it is very windy in the mountains. In addition to protecting plants from high winds wind buffers, such as large trees, prevent the spreading of these pores to other fields.

Achieving sustainability goals such also brings great pride and happiness to Tico farmers. One way that Tico farmers practice sustainable methods is by using the feces of their livestock for fertilizer and compost to grow coffee. Another creative way to use animal feces is by putting it in a large sealed bag and allowing the feces to produce methane gas. They then use this gas to fuel their ovens and roasters allowing them to have a greener source of gas. This method also prevents the methane gas from polluting the atmosphere since methane is a greenhouse gas. Achieving small sustainability goals such as these can make Tico farmers very prideful of their work.