The Rise Of Coffee In Costa Rica

The latin american country of Costa Rica has grown to be one of the most attractive places to live in the world. In 2016 Costa Rica was named the happiest and most sustainable country in the world. One might wonder what practices and procedures led to such a success. The abolishment of the army in 1949, after a brief Costa Rican Civil war, certainly brought a substantial cash flow to more important public sectors. Their environmental consciousness also helps illustrate their sense of pura vida which shows how they let things be and they don’t worry. Furthermore, the stable democracy also contributes to its wellbeing. In addition, if we look at the industries of Costa Rica we will discover another factor that has helped shape the country into

This is no exception to Costa Rica and throughout its history we can see how this crop grew and developed. With the rise of coffee popularity in the 18th century, European powers sought to increase their coffee cultivation capabilities in their colonies. After their independence in 1821, demand on coffee in Costa rica was as strong as their neighboring Central American countries, but their development strategies differed greatly. Costa Rica followed a democratic, egalitarian path not seen in other nations. While others used latifundias, or large elite landowner plantations, Costa Rica used smaller farms; largely due to a lack of labor force. This system became the norm, and it propagated outward from the city of San Jose. This expansion allowed more land to be used by Costa Rican farmers, allowing for a low level of competition over who exactly owned the land. Luckily, this caused a lack of the repressive government intervention that was so common in surrounding nations, such as Argentina or Venezuela.. These factors allowed coffee to become a major source of revenue surpassing cacao, tobacco and sugar production by 1829.. Traditional Costa rican coffee plantations are also unique. Coffee used to be grown in canopies, known as an agroecosystem. These Shade plantations are often even termed as forests due to the fact that they attract wildlife. The coffee canopies become a rich habitat, that even houses many migratory bird species. Moreover, shade plantations also bring economic benefits to the farmers, for they also provide the workers with non-coffee products, in case of increased demand in coffee. By 1832 Costa Rica began exporting its coffee internationally reaching Great Britain. Ties with England strengthened and they invested heavily in the Costa Rican coffee industry, becoming the