Today, I had a fantastic time touring and tasting at the Doka Coffee Plantation and a Strawberry Farm. When comparing and contrasting the coffee and strawberry farms, I found many differences and some similarities. For example, coffee plants produce quality berries for 20-30 years before they are replaced with newer trees. On the other hand, strawberry plants die off after two years of production and are then switched out with new plants. Additionally, to control pests, the coffee farm uses  Pinzón Cafetalera birds to protect the coffee berries from insects that feed on trees. The strawberry farm uses pesticides to protect the plant and berries from insects such as May beetles. As for similarities, both plants utilize the process of crop rotation so that the soil is rich in nutrients that the berries need to grow healthily.

To continue, the overall process of growing the coffee berries to eventually producing a cup of coffee is much longer and includes many more steps than growing and harvesting the strawberries. The conditions for coffee bean growing and harvesting are very specific. The designated time every year for harvesting is in the later months during the dry season. Something that surprised me is that climate change is negatively affecting the coffee plants in a way where they must over exert themselves to produce berries. This is deeply impacting the coffee business everywhere because less and less coffee beans are being produced, causing the costs to be much higher. A long term solution to improve this process is by focusing on improving climate change all around the world. While Costa Rica incorporates many sustainable practices into their country and production (such as reusing many waste materials produced during the coffee process), many places do not, and we must work together to make a lasting difference.