Week 8 | 2024
Most tourists visiting Costa Rica flock to the beaches. But after we landed in San Jose, we found ourselves weaving dangerously up narrow roads through jungles and finally landing in a quaint, red-roofed farming village sixteen hundred meters above sea level. Here the rugged mountains kiss the clouds that form over the warm Pacific and drift inland. In these cloud forests, a mysterious fog frequently blankets the valleys and slopes, showering it in a gentle mist that waters the land. When the clouds lift, the volcano is visible in the distance. Every decade, awakening from its restless slumber, it spews lava down its slope and spreads life-enriching ash over the surrounding hills.
The first farmers arrived here less than a century ago, cleared the jungle, terraced the slopes, and planted coffee, bananas, avocados, tobacco, cocoa, oranges, lemons, and limes. They subsisted on sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, kale, onions, tomatoes, peppers, ginger, and many other vegetables and herbs they planted amongst the trees. Dairy cows soon arrived. Today they graze year-round on the steep slopes in small pastures, producing rich milk, cheese, cream, and butter.
On our recent visit, a brawny farmer in rubber boots, recognizing our interest, waved us over with flourish and a friendly, “hola.” He spoke wildly in Spanish, and I think he said, “go ahead, and take a look around.” We gratefully accepted the invitation, entered the farmyard, and ambled down the gravel pathway past his curious, wide-eyed jerseys that stopped munching to watch us pass. Further down the lane, we paused, mesmerized by the contoured plantings of carrots, celery and different varieties of cabbages that adorned the slopes. Every square foot was used. The hand of the farmer was everywhere, caressing the land.
I wanted to ask if pesticides were used on the farm, but I found the answer further up the slope where I discovered a pile of discarded insecticide and fungicide bottles. I’m disappointed but not surprised. Chemical use is widespread around the world, reaching the remotest regions. Often, they’re used ignorantly or because farmers no longer diversify their crops.
Fortunately, not all farms here are dependent on chemicals. The next day we had the good fortune to meet Jose who told me he had been farming without any ‘cides’ for twelve years. He explained that his grandfather, who arrived in the area 75 years earlier, didn’t use chemicals and had incredibly high yields on the virgin slopes. But once artificial fertilizers were introduced and soil health declined, pests and disease became common place and pesticides were widely adopted.
Jose told us that initially his production dropped when he transitioned but he knew he couldn’t give up. He pointed to his one-year-old son playing on the ground in the shade of a banana tree and told me he wants the fourth generation on his farm to live in a chemical-free world. A decade ago, he began seeding grass and flowers between the pathways of coffee bushes and planted flowering leguminous trees for shade. He also divided the medicinal plants cherished by his grandmother and spread them around his ten-acre farm. Every other food producing tree imaginable is found on his property. He grows tomatoes up bamboo he’s collected from the forest and grows many other vegetables for his family—his main business is coffee. Most encouraging, says Jose, is that other farmers in the area are following his example.
After touring his farm, Jose took us into the jungle that surrounds his farm to a spring that bubbles from the mountainside. Pure water flowed from this fountain and some of it is diverted as a drinking source for the villagers. The rest forms a small stream that winds down the mountain to feed jungle animals. Costa Rica is the most biodiverse place in the world. Despite its diminutive size, it has five percent of the total species of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Jose explains that his country is the lung of the world, and he feels responsible to preserve its beauty and wildlife while producing the best food imaginable for his people.
I’m halfway around the world and I’ve only spent a few hours speaking with Jose, but a strong sense of kinship has developed. It fills me with incredible hope that a brighter, cleaner future is ahead.
