Unfortunately, today we left the lush paradise of Monteverde. On our way home, we stopped at Life Monteverde, a coffee farm with a heavy emphasis on sustainability, and learned about all the ways that farming can be as sustainable as possible.
Seeing the farmers who worked at Life Monteverde gives me insight into the life of a Tico farmer. I think the Tico farmers bring their work with them everywhere they go. This means always living as sustainably and environmentally conscious as possible. They probably mostly deal with challenges of convenience and ease, as they most likely grow their own food and do their own composting, as well as doing it at work. I would assume they get joy from nature and the work they do for the Earth. Farmers and their families are heavily affected by modern life and the community, but more so the community they live. It could be hard to keep up a slow-paced farming life if you live near the hustle and bustle of the city, but if you live in a farming community, this life is supported by others. The world is ever changing, though, and that can be a difficult fact to face when you live off the land as a farmer does. Global warming is making living off the land unpredictable and unsteady.
Engineering and technology also play a major role in sustainable farming. For example, the biofertilizer is a mixture that helps the soil thrive; it contains specific ratios that are carefully calculated and tested in test gardens.
If I were the child of a tico farmer, I would dedicate my life to finding an alternative solution to plastic. This is something we talked about in length at the farm and at the dinner table (yes, really, I am in the house with three engineers and we talked about this over dinner). Cadence introduced all of us to a video of plastic being broken down into oil for use, so that is something I would be interested in pursuing if I were in that space.
Being a part of a community matters because it makes people feel as though they belong somewhere, much like our community at Pitt.
Tommorow is our free day and we are headed to la playa. Hooray!