{"id":225,"date":"2011-02-17T13:27:10","date_gmt":"2011-02-17T18:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fornobravo.com\/pizzaquest\/2011\/02\/17\/my-coffee-farm-quest-part-two\/"},"modified":"2011-02-17T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2011-02-17T18:27:10","slug":"my-coffee-farm-quest-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fornobravo.com\/pizzaquest\/my-coffee-farm-quest-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"My Coffee Farm Quest, Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note to readers from Peter: This is the the second part of Jenn Burn’s recent adventure in Costa Rica, picking beans on an organic coffee farm as part of a work study project. Jenn is a student at Davidson College, just outside of Charlotte, and has previously had numerous articles published that chronicle her transition from teenager to young adulthood (I hope to run some more of those here in the future–you can read more about her on our Contributor Profiles page). She is currently working with her college to bring locally produced food products onto the school’s food service menu, for the benefit of the students and also to support local, sustainable agriculture. If you haven’t read Part One of her Coffee Farm Quest, you will find it in full on the Guest Column page, and I suggest you read it first before moving on to this installment. <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Day 4:<\/strong> We went to a conventional farm today. \u00a0As we approached the farm, Always Accurate Achim<\/em> stopped the van and told us all to get out because we weighed too much. \u00a0He wasn\u2019t kidding. \u00a0We had to walk the last hill as the van had no chance of making it with all of us aboard. This road was so steep that with only my socks on, I slid downward. \u00a0The next day the van died earlier on the ascent. Always Accurate Achim<\/em> bellowed, \u201csomeone got fat\u201d. \u00a0I am not yet ready to relive this day; as I moaned just before lunch, \u201cWe have hit rock bottom\u201d. \u00a0I was itchier, colder, and more wet than I had ever previously been in my life.<\/p>\n

Day 5:<\/strong> Today, I listened. \u00a0The sound of a coffee farm, a coffee farm being intently scrutinized by nine loud gringos and one German, is not the sound of nature. \u00a0As each person collected samples, identified trees, or meticulously measured coffee plants, there were random bursts of noise. \u00a0Of course, each member of our team had their own unique shriek when they slipped. Additionally, partners exchanged information across the farm so we heard yells of, \u201cLeeeeaaaaffff liiitttttter\u201d or \u201cbroad-leafed herrrrrbs,\u201d each with unique (and probably unnecessary) tonal inflection. \u00a0And, with the most regularity, we heard, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d screamed as loudly as possible. \u00a0If there is a response at all, it is hardly helpful, as the only landmarks are coffee and large trees.<\/p>\n

In addition to learning how to distinguish between types of ground cover, I picked up some interesting knowledge about coffee. \u00a0Globally, coffee is a $100 billion industry, and is the world\u2019s second most traded commodity after oil. \u00a0Costa Rica is the 12th largest producer in the world. There are about 250,000 acres of coffee in Costa Rica, grown by some 70,000 producers, meaning most farmers have between just two and three acres. \u00a0On average, organic<\/em> coffee farms produce less, sometimes as little as half as much as conventional farms. Consequently, organic farmers are often dependent on the premium prices of organic coffee, which are usually 20-25% higher than conventional prices. \u00a0Yet, some organic farms out-produce their conventional counterparts; it depends on the whole system. \u00a0To do organic successfully, farmers must be dedicated and not just adhere to the bare minimum of regulations.<\/p>\n

The organic farmers I met in the central valley believe in what they are doing whole heartedly, which is necessary, as it definitely isn\u2019t about profit. \u00a0One farmer whose organic field we surveyed, Allen Esquivel, switched from conventional to organic beans eight years ago after being hospitalized because of a chemical he used to apply to his fields. \u00a0It is now banned from the market due to its toxicity. \u00a0He no longer uses chemicals. \u00a0Allen says, \u201cOrganic farming is not<\/p>\n

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about making a profit; it is a way of life.\u201d \u00a0Another organic farmer, Gerardo Calderon, spoke about the synergies of life. \u00a0He grows organically because it is better for his health and the health of the environment. \u00a0To enhance his economic sustainability, many of his shade trees are also edible fruiting trees such as banana, mango, jacote, guanabana and guava. \u00a0He also makes up for the lack in profit by roasting and directly selling some of his beans.<\/p>\n

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About 40% of farms in Costa Rica are certified something<\/em> (Rainforest Alliance, sustainable, etc.), but only 1% are certified organic. \u00a0How is the consumer supposed to distinguish between these countless certifications? \u00a0It is impossible. \u00a0I won\u2019t bore with you the results of my research, but trust me, organic agriculture had significantly (statistically proven) higher levels of environmental services. \u00a0Visually, it was obvious. \u00a0Both organic farms we studied were bordered by conventional farms. \u00a0It was like night and day; you could easily see where one farm ended and the next began. The organic farm had lots of trees, healthy soil, and the ground was covered by grasses and herbs. The conventional farm looked dead.<\/p>\n

Day 6:<\/strong> In addition to destroying any trace of a path and taking out at least a few coffee plants that couldn\u2019t hold our weight (and even one tree); we picked quite a few coffee beans. Surprisingly — or perhaps not given their name and that they are the plant\u2019s fruit — coffee “cherries” are sweet! We sampled many cherries, sucking the juice out and enjoying the sweet aftertaste. \u00a0Of course, we didn\u2019t do this on the conventional farm, as even just brushing against the plants left enough chemical residues to make me want to itch my arms raw. \u00a0I am surprised coffee in its pure form isn\u2019t more popular. \u00a0Not only is it subtly sweet, but also the cherries are a beautiful shade of red when ripe (or yellow, depending on the species), which strongly contrasts with the green of the surrounding forest. \u00a0One of the sustainable farms we visited processes their own beans, and they are looking to sell the juice of the fruit — \u201csweet water\u201d they call it — as a healthier, natural sweetener.<\/p>\n

Although I gained a greater appreciation for coffee, I think that I am further than ever from understanding the caf\u00e9 craze in the United States. Regularly, I hear my fellow coeds saying that they need coffee before class or to finish a project. \u00a0Interestingly, the cherries do not have the same buzz-inducing properties that they later develop when dried and roasted. While so many people feel that sipping a warm mug full of Joe is comforting, it would be hard to find a food that people are more removed from than coffee. Granted there is much talk these days about organic, shade-grown, and fair trade coffee, but with so many labels and so little first-hand knowledge, it is impossible to make a realistic judgment. \u00a0I thought I knew a lot about coffee, as I was well-versed in the various social issues and economic intricacies, but I had no idea. Picking a coffee bean by myself taught me more than any book ever could.<\/p>\n

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