Today we headed back to Sarapiquí to learn more about tropical agriculture! We started the day by touring a local banana farm and then went to another plantation that grew a variety of tropical fruits. To start our time at the banana plantation we learned a little bit about the history of bananas in Costa Rica. Bananas do not originate from Costa Rica, but Costa Rica is still the third largest banana exporter globally. Bananas originate in the Philippines, but got to Costa Rica through colonialism and farmers found that they grow well in the lowlands of the Caribbean side. The farm we visited grows 18 types of bananas! I did not realize that there were so many different kinds of bananas, but then we learned that there are over 1000 different species of bananas across the world.

The farm that we toured grows organic bananas, so the production process looks different than major producers, like Dole. This farm does not use chemicals when growing bananas and rely on natural fertilizers and insect repellents. The farm that we visited today is a small family business, which can make it difficult to compete with major producers. However, the smaller plantations and farms that we have visited also pride themselves in their commitment to sustainability and producing organic products. While they may not have the output that these major corporations have, they can compete with them by ensuring high quality outputs.

Additionally, it can be difficult for new smaller farms to begin engaging in business, tourism, and economic partnerships because Costa Rica is such a small country and there is limited space for new businesses, especially in agriculture. The barriers to entry make it difficult for new small businesses to succeed, therefore they must standout using strategies such as sustainable or organic practices. The community supports people running smaller businesses, like our host Francini, by purchasing from small businesses and working with them in various ways.

We finished up our time at the banana farm by learning how to make patacones, which are essentially fried plantains. After making them we got to eat them with our lunch and they were very good. After lunch, we got back on the bus to visit another small farm nearby, that grows a variety of fruits, including peppercorn, sugar cane, cacao, and many more. Seeing the second farm after the banana farm was interesting because they were visually very different. While the banana farm grows other fruits, their primary focus is bananas. Whereas the second farm grew so many different plants and did not have one specific crop they specialized in. Therefore, we got to see the contrast of how a variety of different fruits grew. Each of the crops have a different growing process and specific requirements to produce the best product.