Today we set off to visit two small family owned farms, the owners taught us how agriculture, sustainability, and community all connect in Costa Rica. Our first stop was a banana farm run by Francini, an entrepreneur who’s using agrotourism to teach visitors about eco friendly farming. Her farm, surrounded by tropical plants and wildlife such as their many bee colonies. What stands out is not just for what they grow, bananas, cacao, black pepper, and more, but for how they grows them. Unlike industrial plantations that rely on pesticides, plastic wraps, and machines, Francini’s farm uses natural methods like intercropping and avoids harming pollinators like bees. The farm had a lot of similarities with the Monteverde coffee farm. Over a home cooked lunch, we got to see what a sustainable lifestyle actually looks like connected in tradition, and supported by community.

Our second visit was just down the road, where we explored a farm filled with everything from coconut, cocoa and peppercorn vines. Each crop had its own growing method, from the nitrogen-fixing trees that support peppercorn to the moss-wrapped vanilla vines. The variety of plants was impressive, but what really stuck with me was how much manual labor goes into running these farms no big crews, no machines, just a few people doing everything by hand. It was also clear that running a tourism-based farm isn’t easy. With limited marketing reach and little access to financial support from banks, many of these families depend on local markets and word-of-mouth to survive. Still, both farms are expanding and finding ways to thrive.