Today, coffee and strawberry farms were on the itinerary, providing two very unique agricultural experiences. First, we started at the Hacienda Doka Coffee Plantation, where our tour guide shared the very particular steps of growing a batch of coffee. First, she showed with us the different ages and sizes of their optimal plants: year one being very small and not yielding any beans, year two where the two coffee plants are married and cared for in a small and controlled environment (still not yielding any beans), and year three where the coffee couple is planted into the ground to survive without meticulous observation, finally producing coffee cherries. All of the coffee plants at Hacienda Doka (and in Costa Rica) are arabica coffee, meaning they prefer lots of sun, rain, and even higher elevation, all found in Costa Rica. These plants can actively produce coffee beans during the dry season of each year from years 3 to 10. Once the tenth year hits, the workers prune the trees to ensure that nutrients can still efficiently flow to the ends of the branches. The plantation can still maximize its coffee yield by pruning every two rows of 10-year-old coffee plants while preparing its other plants for the coming years. The coffee trees can produce quality cherries and beans until about year 30, when they need to be removed.

The strawberries had a much less meticulous and more straightforward growing process. First, the strawberry plants are imported from Chile, as they are not actually native to Costa Rica. Then, the bushes are planted in elevated rows under greenhouse-like roofs. The elevated rows are covered with plastic to regulate soil temperature, allowing the strawberries to be harvested year-round, instead of just during the dry season, like coffee. These bushes must also be removed every two years, as that is when the soil is stripped of the nutrients that strawberries need. Irrigation systems were essential to supply the strawberries with the necessary hydration under their roofs, whereas coffee crops were at the mercy of Mother Nature.  Pesticides and fertilizers are also utilized to optimize the quality and quantity of their yield and decrease crop infestation. In contrast, the coffee plantations rely more on birds to defend their crops from harmful bugs.

The growing process of coffee has three main surprising elements: the number of steps required, the short harvesting season, and the amount of maintenance. The process is by no means simple, requiring a lot of involvement and hard labor in the intense heat. Furthermore, all of this work is for a 3 to 5-month harvesting season, requiring even more labor when considering the pruning, replacing, and care each crop needs. The strawberry growing process surprised me, as I assumed that strawberries would be native to Costa Rica. Also, I never realized how much plastic would be involved, as every crop had to be covered.

Finally, the use of technology was impressive, especially in coffee production. It was amazing to learn that the machines could dissect the coffee cherries and peel their layers to extract the beans. Also, the large bean drying machine seemed very beneficial as there was no loss in quality to natural airdrying and ran off of other coffee waste. Additionally, the precision of the quality control lasers was shocking, as they could detect the viability and standard of each bean. Neither farm used many digital technologies, and the strawberry farm only used technology like irrigation systems. Ultimately, both farms could use a more efficient harvesting or picking process to derive the fruits from their respective plants, rather than sacrificing efficiency by using manual labor in challenging conditions. Furthermore, there was no mention of sensors or samples being taken of the soil, raising the question of whether there were any technologies that could be used to better monitor the soil health and nutrients. Overall, both farms were very impressive, maintaining a quality environment to support the growth of their crops, although leaving a slight room for technological improvement.