Agriculture in the Clouds

1
Agriculture in the Clouds

• By Lianne Forrester
• Armstrong Barratt Cullen
• Nick Capezzera

2
Non-traditional Agriculture

• Postwar Transformation
• Traditional Export face challenges
• Growing middle sector
• Expansion of agricultural exports
• Integration of agricultural exports into the
  international market
• Non-traditional Exports (NTXs)
• U.S assistance via AID
• Non-traditional agriculture export booms in Costa
  Rica
• Environmental Degradation
• Soil erosion
• Deforestation
• Exhaustion
• Pesticides
• Agro-Export development Model
• -Harmful effects of agricultural export expansion
• -Diminished quality of life for peasants
• -Asian success in export-led development model

3
Agriculture in Monteverde

• People living with Nature
• -Differing views on how to use natural resources
• -Differing views on defined sustainable
  agriculture
• -agree its good
• -disagree on the meaning
• -Ecocentric Agriculture
• -Green Productionist
• -Agrarian Sociocentric
• Agricultural Environment in Monteverde
• -upland area- specialized dairy farms
• -lowland area- beef and dual-purpose operations
• -Seasonal Challenges
• -Dry Season- strong trade winds
• - high winds
• - heat
• - irrigation
• -Wet Season- heavy rains
• - prolonged rains

4
Dairy Industry History

• Quaker farmers moved from Iowa and Alabama in
  1950
• European dairy production and management
  techniques.
• Deforestation prior to 1950 and after until 1980.
  
• Burned organic material added nutrients to the
  land which helped early production.
• 1970s milk production declined due to low soil
  fertility and the plants susceptibility to pests.
  
• Change
• Used Star Grass
• Used rotational grazing
• Used grain feed and fertilizer
• Improved genetics and health of their cows
• 1980s Costa Ricas Central Bank ran out of money
  to buy imported goods.
• Minimal use of fertilizer
• Low production rate in deforested land before
  1960.
• Production remained on more recently deforested
  areas.
• No change in production for farms using
  fertilizer and grain.
• 1990s production returned and by the mid 90s it
  was the most important agricultural industry in
  the area.

5
The Five Impacts of Dairy Farming

• Deforestation
• Erosion
• Loss of Biodiversity

• Manure Management
• Pesticide Management

6
Areas to Improve

• Manure Management
• Fertilizer Management
• Feed and Mineral Supplements
• Cut Feeds
• Alternative Forages
• Pest Management
• Windbreaks
• Metal Fence posts
• Genetic Improvement

7
Lowland Industry

• Dual-purpose Farms have both milk and beef cows
• Beef farms

8
Erosion from Beef/Dual-purpose

• Differences from Dairy Industry
• Differences between Atlantic and Pacific Slope

9
Sustainable Improvements

• Forage Management
• Animal Nutrition
• Animal Genetics
• Herd Health
• Reforestation

10
History and Development

• Agro-ecology of Coffee
• Sustainability of Coffee production
• Organic Coffee Production

11
Other Crops

• Commercial Vegetable, Fruits, and Herbs
• Sustainability of Other Crops
• Organic Vegetable Production

12
Livestock and Fowl

• Commercial Poultry
• Commercial Hog Raising

13
Overview

• side of coffee production in Monteverde
• Poultry, and hog production
• Directions for future research
• Coffee, vegetables, Source