Today we went to a pineapple plantation in Sarapiquí. My whole life I have hated Pineapples, the texture, the smell, the taste, everything. When we arrived at the plantation there were piña coladas waiting for us. I came in with an open mind and tried it, IT WAS SO GOOD! As we went through our tour of the pineapple plantation I learned a lot about the differences between organic and conventional pineapples.
Organic pineapples are typically more expensive than pineapples grown on a conventional farm. On the organic farm they don’t use pesticides, so there is more wildlife. We saw many different birds, insects, and even monkeys. On conventional farms when pesticides are used there aren’t really that many animals in the area. Another difference between these farming practices, are the quality and quantity of the pineapples. On a conventional farm, there are typically 6,000-9,000 pineapple per HA, but on an organic farm they allow the pineapples to use as much space as they need. This allows the pineapple to be bigger and have a higher sugar concentration.
Another factor to consider is the sustainability of each type of farming. Although on an organic farm they don’t use as many materials (pesticides, etc.), these fruits can have worms and ants in them. This leads to less sellable fruit for that farm (which ultimately makes the cost higher). There are both disadvantages and advantaged to an organic farm.
