This week Costa Rica officially joins the global initiative known as “Meatless Monday,” or Lunes sin Carne, which aims to reduce meat consumption and environmental harm.
Mexican and Costa Rican officials are meeting in Geneva to discuss Costa Rica's ongoing ban on avocados from Mexico and eight other countries because of the “sunblotch” virus. If Mexico is not satisfied with the criteria discussed at the WTO's Phytosanitary Committee, the dispute could move on to arbitration.
Several communities in the northwestern province of Guanacaste registered rainfall levels below 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) in May, the National Meteorological Institute reported. Drought conditions are expected to hit the province again starting next week.
The Southern Caribbean Artisanal Fishermen's Association on Monday presented officials from the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry a plan to reduce the population of lionfish (Pterois), an invasive species that threatens Costa Rica’s fish and shellfish populations.
Water from an aquaponics system works as an effective fertilizer that reduces crops’ growing time by up to 50 percent and reduces water use by up to 90 percent, according to research from the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry.
Costa Rica's third country organic accreditation with EU countries allowed local organic producers to send coffee for the first time to Estonia last year, while pineapple producers sold for the first time to France and Switzerland.
Hold the guac! That side of guacamole could get a lot more expensive now that Costa Rica has decided to temporarily ban avocado imports from nine countries, including Mexico, the world’s largest producer of avocados.
Rainfall along the Pacific coast has gradually returned to normal levels following last year's decrease in rainfall of up to 65 percent in Guanacaste and 30 percent in Puntarenas.
