Costa Rica and Solidarismo

My next trip will be to Costa Rica during spring break for a Agronomy class on Costa Rican soils and crop production. When enrolling in the course, I only thought of the agricultural discoveries to behold. However, as my soils professor  the well respected Dr. Burras, described landing in San Jose, the natural landscapes around the farms we will visit and roads we will traveling, I realized we will also explore an ecosystem unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I could hardly contain my excitement as Dr. Burras was providing the detailed of our journey. I will mark the course of our journey on a more detailed map once I speak with Dr. Burras again.

Today begins my first research on Costa Rica for my presentation in my conversational Spanish class. Our class assignment is to describe the job climate in your profession of choice in a Spanish-speaking country. I will speak about farming in Costa Rica. The information I have gathered is a bit about the agricultural commodities and climate of Costa Rica.

With four meters of yearly average rainfall and balmy temperatures, Costa Rica has the idea climate for crop production. Thanks to a cool coastal breeze,  the midland temperatures of San Jose waiver around a balmy 22 degrees Celsius year round (72 degrees Fahrenheit). Humidity in this region is low, so temperatures are very comfortable for the inhabitants and tourists. In the highlands, moderate temperatures reach 13 degrees Celsius during the day, with much cooler temperatures at night. The lowlands are hot and humid, reaching a warm 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). The rainy season is the equivalent of winter for Costa Ricans and lasts from May to November. The dry-season is referred to as "el verano" or "summer" and occupies the remaining months. Vast differences in climate in relation to altitude allow the large range of biodiversity in Costa Rica.

Banana is the highest value crop grown in Costa Rica, almost doubling the profits from coffee exports in recent years. Sales of banana are mostly handled by multinational corporations, even if the crops are produced by small farmers. Banana workers benefit from the highest salaries in the agricultural sector, almost $15/day, $5 above the national minimum wage, and some of the best occupational benefits. Dole is largest producer of bananas for the US and Japan, and many of these bananas are grown in Costa Rica.

Most banana workers belong to Solidarismo, and Solidarismo is where things get controversial  This is a worker's organization with collective bargaining rights started by banana plantation owners in the 1980s. Employees invest part of their wages in schools, an onsite doctor, and busing to the plantations. In return, the employees investment is matched by the company. If one likens Solidarismo to a labor union, this relationship sounds too good to be true, and indeed there is one catch. The employees aren't allowed to strike. However, from internet forums I have been reading here, it seems that if strikes need to be organized, this is not done through Solidarismo. One of the readers on the web page listed above posted a excellent reminder to me for any traveler.

"Keep analyzing our culture from 5,000 miles away [instead] of being here a couple of months or years. We live here every day and we know what is good for us and what is not." -alberguer

We discuss avoiding assumptions about other cultures in my Global Resource Systems classes frequently, but it is another skill entirely to learn when I am forming assumptions subconsciously. From the information I can find on the internet, I cannot tell if the Costa Rican people are overall satisfied or dissatisfied with the Solidarismo system. It sounds like a topic the Costa Rican people may be divided upon, so I will attempt to be very polite when making inquiries  This said, one of my goals while abroad will be to ask the Costa Rican people about Solidarismo.

Welcome to the Filadelfia Plantation. Here we work as 210 workers in peace and harmony. Thanks to Solidarismo...

Coffee has also been a staple crop in Costa Rica since the 18th Century, so naturally, we will be touring a coffee plantation. In the 1820s, the government distributed free coffee plants and offered tax exemptions to coffee growers. This government promotion allowed small coffee growers to flourish alongside large producers. Costa Rican coffee is known for its high yield and high quality. Indeed, my graduate course instructors for my Costa Rican soils class instructed me to pack lightly in order to bring back as much coffee as possible. Challenge accepted. 

Sugar is also an important crop, but is usually consumed locally. Pineapple is grown all around the country and is a popular export. Our soils class plans to visit a pineapple plantation during our visit. I have yet to read much about dairy production in Costa Rica, but I would like to devote a more detailed blog post about my pre-departure research for the dairy farms. I hear Costa Rican ice cream is absolutely wonderful.

Next Friday, I plan to make a Costa Rican dish for our first IAAS potluck of the semester. I will be sure to provide a detailed account of what I learn by cooking my first Costa Rican dish.


Sources cited:

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Costa-Rica-AGRICULTURE.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/139528/Costa-Rica/40883/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing

http://www.costarica.net/features/culture.htm

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/source-19-banana/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/makefruitfair/5223462390/sizes/l/in/photostream/es cited:

Dairy Farm at Lovsta, Uppsala

The Lovsta dairy farm is a livestock research center ten kilometers outside central Uppsala. The center focuses on LEARN- Livestock Extension And Research Network- to exchange information from the research center and the farmers of Sweden. Strikingly, both the presenters, Ola Schultgberg and Torkel Ekman, studied as veterinarians before becoming diary managers.

We began the lecture with a brief history of dairy farming in Sweden. In 1960, there were 220,000 farmers, 90% of whom raised diary cows. Every decade since 1960, the number of diary farmers in Sweden has decreased by half. Today, only 4,900 (10%), of Swedish farmers raise dairy cows. Swedish milk production has been recorded over the last 100 years thanks to 85% of Swedish dairy farmers participating in the recording program. This database shows us milk and dairy production has not dropped significantly even as the number of dairy farmers has decreased. The size of dairy operations is growing. However, most herds have less than 50 cows.

Today, 45% of Swedish milk is used for drinking milk and yogurt. One third of Swedish milk is made into cheese. Oddly enough, I did not consume much cheese while in Sweden. I did enjoy the most delicious Swedish milk and yogurt. It was naturally sweet and creamy; it was the most wonderful milk I have ever tasted. I enjoyed the Swedish food and drink a great deal, so I was astonished this morning when I decided to step on my family's scale. I lost six pounds while in Sweden. Despite an obsession with running in high school which culminated in running a marathon the summer after my graduation, I have not weighed this little since the seventh grade. I am convinced this is due to all the fresh food we were served and that we snacked lightly between each meal. I sense a new diet craze hitting the United States: the Swedish way. 

10% of the milk in Sweden is organic. Organic cows produce 1000 kilo less per cow than the conventional cow (this is a comparison of 8000 kilo to 9000 kilo). The farm managers of Lovsta said they did not see a great difference between the health of organic milk and that of conventional milk. The health of milk is measured by cell count; the higher the milk cell count, the lower the health of the milk. Norway has the best milk health on average, next Finland, then Sweden. The farm managers attributed Norwegian milk quality to large government subsidies. For example, a Norwegian farmer has monetary intensive from his government to keep many different types of cows. Climate is also a factor in milk health. In Iceland, cool temperatures and large quantities of rain cause hay to mold, which results in worse milk health. The breed of cow also influences the product quality. Holsteins have the worst milk health in Sweden because they were bread for production in quantity. Not surprisingly, the Swedish Red and White produces the highest quality milk.

As in all other livestock production in Sweden, antibiotics are prescribed, not given to the animals as a preventative measure. Norway also practices this method, and not surprisingly, Norway and Sweden have some of the lowest rates of antibiotic resistance. Studies in the Netherlands and Denmark have shown lower rates of antibiotic use result in higher human health. 

After our visit, I still have questions. One of my most burning questions is the difference between female and male farmers in Sweden. In other nations, there is distinct difference between the farming styles of the sexes. Sweden is incredibly progressive in gender equality, and I am interested to see how this manifests itself in agriculture. For mundane example, most of the rest rooms are unisex. We were also told it would not be uncommon for a Swedish woman to hit on a man at a club or bar. Since I am so shy when it comes to introducing myself to others, this would be difficult for me!

I found the presentation very interesting. Thank you, Lovsta! If you have further questions, we can do more research and/or contact those I met from IAAS Sweden and Lovsta to learn more.

Swedish Livestock Production

There was very limited time to write while I was in Sweden, so I set aside a bit of reflection time on the evening we arrived at our accommodation in Gimo to write about the agricultural systems we toured during the day. I was luckyto have a desk to write at facing the forest and a cluster classic red Swedish houses. The evening windows were lit by Advent candles, which could be found in nearly every window of homes and shops around Sweden.

Advent Candles

December 29th, 2012
The Swedes make me hopeful. I want to emulate their ideas in the United States. However, I also believe the practices have room for improvement.

The Swedes are extremely proud of their happy pigs. The tails of Swedish pigs are not cut, so to prevent pigs from biting each other's tails, pigs are given a greater amount of space in which to live. Pigs are also required to have straw bedding at indoor facilities. I am under the impression all facilities are indoor due to the harsh Swedish winters. When viewing the operation at Esplunda, the needs of the pigs certainly seemed to be satisfied based on simple observation from an unskilled eye. However, I cannot claim a professional opinion; I classify myself as a plant scientist. The pigs did not fight and each had ample room to move about and lie down. The amount of straw on the stall floors did not impress me. If I was a pig, I would have appreciated a bit more straw to lay on. I'd be a picky pig. Pig operations are also limited to a few hundred pigs (I cannot recall the exact number), which is significantly smaller than in the United States.

Happy Swedish Pigs at Esplunda Farm

I was also impressed by the way the beef calves were kept at the Esplunda beef farm. The calves are kept in a barn that has one side open to the outdoors. Bales of hay are pilled across the open side of the barn to keep wind and snow out and to allow fresh air and light in. There is also a great amount of hay in the stalls, and the calves are not crowded.  I was less impressed with the standards for adult cattle, although I am aware the standards are much better than anywhere else in the world. I am always looking for areas of improvement. For the benefit of the cattle, the males are not castrated. All cattle must be kept in open air barns with ample room to lie down for rest. The conditions of the barn were still more dirty than a pasture. I would not want to walk down where the cattle lived even wearing heavy boots due to the film of manure. However, I'm inclined to believe this film of manure is much better than operations elsewhere in the world. I was sad to learn that beef cattle were not required to be release into pasturing during the summer months.

Swedish Calves at Esplunda Farm

In all animal productions, antibiotics are used as prescription medications, not as preventative measures. As a result, Swedish livestock have some of the lowest rates of bacterial antibiotic resistance in the world. To accomplish this, each farm employs a veterinarian to diagnose and treat sick animals.

Slaughter is also progressive. Anesthesia is required in all slaughter and the animals cannot be transported for more than eight hours before slaughter. I was astonished to learn these were not already standardized regulations around the world.

We visited the dairy research farm Lovsta, and for those who are interested in dairy, all we learned there deserves a separate blog post. I will be sure to include a summary of the notes I took there. You may view a pdf in English about the farm here. You may also view the website in Swedish at http://www.slu.se/lovsta.

Despite all the wonderful programs the Swedes have for their animals, I always see room for improvement. These farms need to be polyphase. This would create a closed, natural system that could promote a more natural habitat for animals, plants, and people. This habitat would be cleaner, healthier, more eco-friendly. Most of all, it would be a more fulfilling and wholesome way of life. I want to ask the cattle farmer if he uses the manure as fertilizer for his fields. How could the environments of crops, feed, and animals be combined but still maintain efficiency? This is the problem I want to address for the improvement of agriculture around the world. The answer will be different in each climate and ecosystem, but I believe the results will be worth the effort of answering this question. This is already being accomplished on a small scale with hydroponics. It is time to expand this systems approach to terrestrial agriculture.

Thank you for reading! The post on dairy will follow, and I plan to comment with my thoughts on meat production in general. The comment function of the blog has been activated, so please feel free to start a conversation or provide feedback. I apologize: I was unaware that this function needed to be activated.

Hej Hej, International Love

Hej Hej! There is so much to cover, so I've decided the best way to start will be with my thoughts in the present and work my way back. It is difficult not to see my new friends from IAAS Sweden today. I connected with everyone at the conference much more than I ever could have anticipated. It feels like I've known all my friends there for much longer than one week. I found home in Sweden; home is where ever you find love.

After waiting for Brain at the airport for six hours, we rode the bus from Arlanda airport to the train station in Uppsala where the Swedish IAAS would meet us in order to drive us to the university where the first days of the conference would take place. At the bus stop, we met others from IAAS. I began hearing languages in addition to English and Swedish, a trend that would not end until we stepped back onto American soil. I could catch the main message of conversations in Spanish, but I have a lot of work to do between now and Peru. When we got into the car to drive to the University, I was astonished to hear The Whistle Song playing on the radio. The first song I heard in Sweden was an American song, and a crappy American song at that. I'm embarrassed this low quality of US music is known all over the world! We also heard many other familiar songs, and introduced a few new ones everyone should know, like Thrift Shop and the Cupid Shuffle. I was happy to hear Mumford and Sons is known all over the world as well.

Bus Stop at the Uppsala Train Station

From the moment we stepped into the car, there was never a lack of things to talk about. For a person who is often shy to approach conversations, I couldn't get enough of talking to people. There were so many things to discover: similarities and differences. We first convened in the Student Union. We spent time introducing ourselves and snacking on Swedish bread. It was delicious and tasted of cardamom and cinnamon. Paulo from IAAS Italy played Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano, and I quickly began embarrassing myself by singing enthusiastically. The Portuguese greeted us at the piano with kisses on both cheeks.

Bohemian Rhapsody at the Student Union

Swedish Bread

We soon would move on to our welcome dinner in a different building, where the Swedish had prepared an extensive meal for us all. Our first Swedish meal was absolutely delicious. While in Sweden, I never felt that I over ate. We took a good amount of time over every meal so as to converse and to enjoy. That night at dinner, Swedish traditional dances began. They were so joyful and fun! Many of the Europeans were excellent dancers. The Germans and the Americans seemed to have the most in common as far as dancing (or arguably non-dancing for the American) styles. After dinner, the conversations about agriculture began as well. With good food, dancing, and conversation about agriculture and culture, I was right at home. I already miss the freshness of the food, the creamy but not sweet yogurt, and the full bodied milk! 

The Welcome Dinner

Traditional Swedish Dancing

Tonight I am feeling ill and will go to bed soon, but more posts, especially those more detailed relative to agriculture and culture, will follow.