Title: Agriculture in Monteverde: Moving Toward Sustainability
Abstract: This chapter is an overview of how Monteverde settlers transformed their environment into a diversity of agricultural systems. We first discuss “people living in nature,” how Monteverdans have viewed natural resources and defined sustainability. We describe the environmental and social conditions that determined agronomic options in the area, and outline the area’s major agricultural activities (dairy, coffee, and beef), other crops, and efforts at agricultural diversification. Where possible, we cite published studies, but few exist for some issues. We rely heavily on local experts, including long-term community members, local agronomists, veterinarians, and farmers. We also draw on agricultural production data collected by local organizations. From the earliest indigenous settlers to today’s commercial farmers, biologists, and artists, Monteverde’s inhabitants have exhibited a wide spectrum of approaches to natural resource use. The community’s ongoing debate over the meaning and practice of “sustainability” throws into sharp relief residents’ differing worldviews, kinds of knowledge, and perceptions of constraints and opportunities. People’s decisions on how to use natural resources depend on three factors: their attitudes and beliefs, their knowledge, and the opportunities, constraints, and conditions that they confront. For example, beliefs may demand that people be “stewards” of the land, that they use resources to maximize economic returns during their lifetime, or that they use resources as sparingly as possible. Their knowledge may prepare them to be organic vegetable farmers, traditional dairy farmers, business people, or biologists. The social, environmental, and economic context in which they make decisions further defines which options are available or attractive. As one local farmer stated, “We do the best we can with what we have, based on what we know, and what the circumstances permit or encourage us to do.” Monteverdans generally agree that “sustainable agriculture” is a good thing, but there is less agreement on what it means. Following the taxonomy of Gillespie (1998), three sustainable agriculture “schools of thought” exist in Monteverde. The first group is the “Ecocentric Agriculture” school, whose approach focuses on what is sustainable in a biological/ecological sense. Many local biologists and organic producers espouse this view.
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-03-09
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 7
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot