Monteverde : Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest

Figure 11.6. Settling ponds used to process waste from the Productores de Monteverde's dairy plant

and the hog farm. Photograph by Dan Perlman.

environmentally sound measures such as cut feeds,
use of grain concentrates, moderate pasture fertiliza-
tion, rotational grazing, and genetic improvements.
Because productivity is increasing without heavy use
of agrichemicals, the system is probably not unsus-
tainably "mining" the environment. However, most
of the intensification measures increase the cost of
production, and some farmers question the long-term
economic viability of intensive dairying in Monte-
verde. The dairy plant's hog farm has nearly elimi-
nated waste whey. Although some residents debate
the overall sustainability of this operation, its efflu-

Table 11.7. Characteristics of daily effluents before
and after treatment at the Monteverde Hog Farm,
1995 (including the wastes from the swine
operation).

Waste Volume
(liters)

Concentration of BOD

(mg/liter)

Before treatment
Whey: 24,000 38,000
Other liquid waste:
80,000 2250
After treatment
Mixed: 140,000 120

Total BOD

(kg)

912

180

16.8

ents are more benign than those that came directly

from the dairy plant.

Dual-purpose farms. Low and declining productiv-

ity in dual-purpose operations suggests that environ-

mental deterioration will continue under current

practices. Without management changes, these sys-

tems will probably not survive agroecologically or

economically.

Coffee production. Commercial coffee production

started in Monteverde when the principles of sustain-

able agriculture were being widely discussed. Since

the institutions responsible for the growth in local

coffee production are committed to sustainability,

environmentally benign production practices have

been encouraged. Many (but not all) of the farmers are

producing successfully with apparently minimal ad-

verse impacts on the environment. The Coope's pro-

cessing practices eliminate some of the most serious

environmental impacts of coffee production. The high

prices farmers receive for their coffee expands the

management possibilities to include those that might

otherwise be too costly (e.g., terracing).

Vegetable production. Commercial vegetable produc-

tion is generally sustainable. Many farmers produce

406 Agriculture in Monteverde: Moving Toward Sustainability