Coffee in Costa Rica

An intersection of culture, sustainability and coffee

Each summer, a group of Cal Poly students spend five weeks living within a community in Costa Rica to explore first-hand issues of sustainability and culture. The summer course, Sustainable Agriculture and Forest Conservation in Costa Rica, is taught by Nick Babin, an assistant professor in the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department. Babin, who specializes in agroecology, the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems to reduce environmental impacts, has traveled to the rainforest of Costa Rica for more than 20 years doing research and has forged strong relationships there.

Students spend their time learning on the 16-acre farm, Finca El Bosque de Don Roberto, which grows shade coffee as well as more than a dozen other crops. They study tropical agricultural practices with an emphasis on the design and management of coffee agroforestry systems and coffee processing and international trading. Students also work on a long-term research project managed by Babin on the links between coffee shade-tree management, soil health and farmer livelihoods.

Read the full article here: Coffee in Costa Rica, Cultivate Spring 2023.

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Photo credit: Foster Bensing.

Read more stories in the Summer 2023 Newsletter