On the last day in Monteverde, we headed to a small school to help the children paint a large fence outside. We decorated it with the alphabet and paintings of flowers and children. We played games like soccer and Simon says (Simón dice). I really enjoyed getting to talk and play with the young children. In the afternoon, we toured Cafe Monteverde. Cafe Monteverde is a coffee farm that is focused on sustainable farming and conservation. Their primary focus is maintaining the soil and environment that they grow on, rather than maintaining the coffee plant.
The lifestyle of a Costa Rican farmer revolves around their land. During different seasons and months, they plant, care for, and harvest their crops. On Cafe Monteverde, they are constantly studying their plants to see what they can do to improve. Every month, they monitor each plot of coffee plants to see how the plants are doing. Cafe Monteverde makes their own organic bio fertilizer that uses microorganisms. They are constantly adding and altering the recipe to aid the plant and maintain the soil’s natural properties. Often synthetic fertilizers will increase the soil’s acidity too much. Farmers constantly have to change and adjust their techniques to support their land as the effects of climate change increase.
Farmers in Costa Rica have been dealing with the increased amount of dry months each year. Because of this, they have to find ways to allow the coffee plants to absorb more water. At Cafe Monteverde, they place charcoal around the coffee plants that helps to store water and nutrients. Another challenge farmers face is new fungi and diseases that threaten their crops. This may lead farmers to need use a new variety of crop that is more resistant to diseases. Cafe Monteverde actively researches new types of Arabica beans. Despite these challenges, farmers find joy in their products and advances. When they produce a great yield or find a new solution to a challenge, it brings them great joy.
Each year, Cafe Monteverde teaches a group of about 100 farmers their technique for creating organic bio fertilizer. They share their knowledge and technology. By being a part of a community of farmers, it allows Costa Rican farmers to share advancements and all work together to move forward. There is a Monteverde Community Fund that each farmer that does tours puts money into. For each visitor, the farm donates one dollar. If there is an emergency or money is needed, this fund can be utilized. Farmers are only supported and aided by this community. In general, being a part of a community is needed for development and innovation. Sharing ideas and resources helps communities progress.
Engineering is vital in creating a more sustainable farm and livelihood. When the coffee plants are about half a year old, their roots are examined to determine the success. Secondary roots are more favorable than one, long root. This simple examination really helps to make sure that only the most optimal plants use soil. More innovations are the homemade bio fertilizer and the diversity of types of Arabica coffee beans. These changing factors are necessary to maintain sustainability. As the environment changes, the farmer’s technique must change as well.
In college now I am studying civil engineering with an environmental focus. If I were the child of a Costa Rican farmer, I might direct my career in a more agricultural direction. Although I might not become a farmer myself, I know I would want to do something that would advance farming techniques. I may study agriculture and sustainability engineering to be able to guide farming to be more maintainable for both the economy and the environment. Having an engineering background would give me the tools to create progress in agriculture.
Examining the life of a Costa Rican farmer has increased my awareness of how important and necessary farming is. Newer generations have started to disregard farming as a career, yet it is a fundamental necessity. Everyone needs food, and the quality and type of food often factors in to how long one will live. With more research and education, like what is already happening at Cafe Monteverde, hopefully farming can become a more sustainable, organic practice.
