What Are the Implications of the Industrial Food System, and What Are the Barriers Facing Sustainable Food Production in Costa Rica?

This report details the realities of the 21^st century Costa Rican food system. Drawing upon interviews with farmers (both organic and conventional), artisanal fishermen, supermarket owners, co-op organizers and participants, chocolate producers, and coffee manufacturers, this report intertwines on-the-ground testimonies with the work of NGOs, government agencies, investigative journalists, and farmworkers’ unions in analyzing the long-term environmental sustainability of current farming and fishing practices. This report seeks to explore and evaluate the barriers to sustainable food production, including: overgrazing, deforestation, climate change, monoculture food production, overfishing, food certification requirements, poor environmental education, and the market pressures of a capitalistic system on the food production world. Steps including the creation and protection of marine reserves, fishing quotas and other regulations, educational programs, policies compensating farmers for reforestation efforts and other environmental actions, the promotion of organic co-ops, comprehensive and protective labor laws, and chemical and land use regulation will help maintain Costa Rica’s future food security, enhancing both environmental and human health.