Sustainable farming

Costa Rica has approximately 1.6 million head of cattle, according to The National Institute of Statistics and Census’ (INEC) latest National Agricultural Survey. This...

One colored stone and waterfall leap at a time, she gained perspective.

Ministry officials warned pineapple farmers that they must refrain from conducting any work that might have an impact on nearby wetlands, ponds, or protected lands.

The Environmental Technical Secretariat asked for the demarcation of all wetland areas inside the property before any type of work on the pineapple project continues.

An Environment Ministry report recommends to halt all work on the farmlands until measures are taken to protect wetlands and other protected areas.

A four-year project developed in Guanacaste resulted in a new product called EcoArroz (Eco Rice) that is more nutritious and has more minerals than tradional rice.

The U.N. conference was held in Costa Rica and brought together policymakers from across Central America to discuss sustainable ways to keep coffee rust, or roya, at bay.

His goal, he says, is to give Cuban farmers a way to make a living at a time when so many have given up on it and moved to urban areas. "If we don't want foreign companies to come in and dominate Cuban agriculture all over again, that means we need to give Cuban families a way to stay on their farms," said Funes, who grew up at an agricultural research station where his father, a crop scientist, and his mother, a biologist, both worked.

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.

Finca San Pablo General Manager Geraldo Mora said the banana farm shrunk its carbon footprint mainly by reducing its use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in favor of natural ones; reducing electricity consumption in its packing facility; and improving efficiency in transporting its product to the port in Limón.