Why return to Costa Rican farms year after year?
Says Mr. Tanzi: “Earthwatch is about doing science to support sustainable use of resources. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? But life is not that simple and straightforward. It turns out that the object being studied might constantly change. Take, for example, coffee production, where the age of the plantation, the variety of plants, the shade tree density, and the climatic conditions determine the amount of coffee (and the quality) that is produced in a certain field. That is a reason we had to visit and revisit so many fields during the project’s three-year period. Thanks to the work of so many volunteers, we have been able to understand many of the mechanisms behind sustainable coffee production.”
Why work with the farmers of Tarrazú?:
Mr. Tanzi believes Tarrazú offers an ideal setting for research into better ways to produce shade-grown coffee, thanks to the farmers’ capability and their interest in improving the way they manage their farms.