coffee 3!!!!

Now that the main trips to coffee plantations are over and i got to see both an organic and inorganic plantation, i would like to talk about the differences. If going organic seems to be the trend of the future, then why wouldnt all farmers go this route?

Organic farming is where the crop is harvested and grown without the use of any synthetic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. In some cases it would be impossible to grow a yeild of crop that would allow for profit. Things such as temperature, elevation, humidity, sun exposure all have an effect on the crop. For instance, the reason why the small farmer that we visited could not go organic was because of her location in the mountians. She had tried in the past to make a change to organic and the crops suffered which in turn means that she lost money. With the use of pesticides, the crops can be protected from insects and disease which in many cases would have killed the crop without use. The problem that goes along with the use of pesticides is the danger to both the environment and society. When a pesticide or synthetic chemical is used, it does not just go away. Rain brings the chemicals into the soil and then into waterways and eventually into the ocean. In the United States we have a huge problem with the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico!!! This is caused by the runoff of chemicals into the Mississippi River and kills thousands apon thousands of animals.

I think this issue is a big one in Costa Rica because of the effect that these chemicals can have on the nation. A major industry in the country is Eco-tourism. If pesticides run off and start to kill the coral reefs and destroy rivers and forest species, then not only will the environment take a hit but so will the people. It is a very delicate balance and synthetic chemicals are not ment to be in nature the way we are pumping them into crops and in turn rivers. Coffee is a crop that does not need these chemicals. Unlike bananas, coffee is a crop that is ment to be in Costa Rica and can survive naturally. I feel that from a risk management view, going organic should be the focus of the country..even if production and profit takes a hit in the short run. In the long run Costa Rica will benifit from the cleaner practice.