Day 3 began with even more rain than ever imagined. We headed off Earth University campus with Professor Alex Pacheco to explore. Three site visits offered us a different view of Costa Rican agriculture and conservation. We began at Finca La Chiquita. A smallholder 2 acre farm that raises pigs, chickens, rabbits, and tilapia. A small orchard adorned the back half of the property and as we mucked through the farm, one consistent property was evident. Everything centered around responsible agriculture. Not necessarily “organic” but sustainable and responsible. Finca La Chiquita grows a lot of it’s own protein for feeding the animals and had a small vegetable garden that appeared to be for home consumption.
Target sustainability for these farms lie between 60-70%. Our biggest question in discussion was how was this sustainability measured? A social land reform program has given these smallholder farmers the opportunity to cultivate 2 acres in a biological corridor near the Turrialba Volcano. There is a buffer zone of 20-40km between the farms and the volcano that is protected but we did see a few farms that push the limits on how close they can get to the protected area. Some landowners are grandfathered in and we proceeded to drive past (not inside) a commercial pineapple farm. This farm is located very near one of the major rivers carrying drinking water to the low lands. Of major concern is the chemical runoff from these commercial operations and the unsustainable/irresponsible practices that lead to a lot of chemical leaching.
The buffer zone is meant for a recharge area that conservationists tirelessly protect. Acueducto Rural Suerre is the association that handles the drinking water conservation and we had the opportunity to meet and hike with Omar. The rain poured down on us as we hiked to a spring coming out of the side of the mountain. We also sampled some fresh guava from a tree along the way. The hillside we climbed was a “little” treacherous but the reward at the end was a natural spring protected from commercial bottling companies by Acueducto Rural Suerre and Omar was the gatekeeper. The water was naturally filtered by the volcanic rock and tasted amazing. Acueducto Rural Suerre is an organization that treats and distributes water to approximately 1200 families in the nearby community. It maintains proper filtration and additives as it passes from the mountain spring to these communities.
Overall a great day in the “field” soaking wet, but full of excitement. Seems like everyone is ready for a hard day of work tomorrow, more rain, and then off to the livestock farm…….
“Don’t do to your farm what you wouldn’t do to your family” Professor Alex Pacheco – Earth University
Scott Marshall
earthtochatham 