Entry 6 - A day with Ninito

El Marquez de Tarrazú, 16 August 2007, 3:15 pm

Today was our second day in the field.  The farmer and owner of the farm Victorino Valverde, who is nicknamed Ninito, was there to welcome us, complete with a small machete in a holster on his hip.  He told us he was happy to have our help with the research on his farm.  He is a gregarious man with a quick smile and a loud and easy laugh, who flirted with all of the girls and asked to have his picture taken with all of us. 

Ninito, whose father gave him the farm before he passed away, has owned his farm for about 30 years.  He told us that for the past two years he has stopped applying chemical herbicides on his farm, only using them at the perimeter of the field to keep pests out.  In addition, he said that he follows Starbucks C.A.F.E. practices (http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/sourcingcoffee.asp), as does almost everyone he knows.  He said that there has been a movement in the last few years, from just a handful of farmers supporting C.A.F.E. practices to now almost everyone doing so.  This reminded me of what Wendy at Coopetarrazú said about farmers beginning to learn that implementing sustainable practices in coffee farming is not just for the market, but for the longevity of coffee farms in general.

After separating into groups and forging new partnerships, we went into the field, this one with much less shade.  It also required much less of a hike to get to.

We worked until mid-morning when Don Jose and Jorgito brought us fresh papaya and fresh local pineapple, which is easily my favorite local food. The pineapple was served in small plastic bags and is so delicious, that everyone made sure they drank all the leftover pineapple juice in the bottom of the bag—it is that good.

I partnered today with Melanie, the birthday girl from our first night at Hotel Bougainvillea.  Melanie just moved to West Palm Beach from Kansas City (Kansas, NOT Missouri!) for university.  She is in Medical School, and two days after returning from her trip, Melanie will begin her surgical rotation at school.  As it turned out, I was happy to have someone with a medical background as my partner.

While analyzing a coffee tree, I felt a small sting on my elbow.  I was confused since it didn’t exactly feel like a bug bite, just a sting.  I didn’t see anything on that branch so I kept working.  A second later, I felt a very strong sting on my right hand, which quickly started swelling up.  I looked carefully and saw a huge green caterpillar with small needles around its body.  It was feeling invaded by my prying hands and utilized its natural defense mechanism to let me know that in no uncertain terms.  Although it turned out to be minor (the swelling went down within two hours), it was a little scary to be on the receiving end of this caterpillar’s not-too-subtle warning…

Now we are back at the lab pressing leaves for submission to the lab, separating soil samples, and inputting data in the computers with Natalia.  Roy, Kristi, and Nancy from Starbucks all went with Sebastian back to the first day’s farm (the organic farm) because there were a few samples that required some clarification.

One of the guys who works for Coopetarrazú just brought a bright green frog in that’s taking a nap on a big leaf.  I’ll try to post a picture of it here.  I’ve never seen a frog like it ….

In awhile, after they return, we will have another group discussion—tonight’s is based on the effect of human interaction with the environment.  Afterward, we will head back to San Pablo for dinner at an interesting restaurant toward the top of a mountain called La Vaca Flaca, The Thin Cow.  Natalie says it’s a great rustic restaurant with a comforting fireplace.

Tomorrow morning, Friday, we will head straight to the field for our third day with a new farmer.

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