THE PROJECT

So here's part of my proposal which pretty much explains what I'm doing. I'll add more pictures laters.

Megan Vásquez
Project Proposal

Title: Impacts of Plant Biological Diversity on the Maintaining of Soil Quality on Coffee Farms in the San Luis Valley.

Theme:
The theme of this project is to explore the biological diversity of coffee farms to develop a way to measure the health of the farms and the land. This could be important to farmers for improving the quality of their coffee and maintaining the nutrients in their soil over the long term. Is intercropping or poly culture used on these farms, and does it benefit the growth and production of the coffee field? (possibly soil nutrients, flavor of the coffee, less reliance on chemical inputs, less erosion, etc.)
Also is it in the interest of the farmer to preserve biodiversity on his/her farm because they can obtain a type of conservation certification which can attract potential high paying buyers who value sustainable methods of farming? Do the farmers do it for money, to better support themselves, or do they also have an interest in preserving the environment?

Objectives:
Determine the state of biodiversity in each of three types of fields.
Determine plant biodiversity by counting number of plants in a given area (calculate biodiversity index).
Determine plant ground cover percentages and bare ground percentages.
Take soil samples from each field to determine nutrient content and the state of the soil.
Determine amount of production per hectare of each field (coffee, legumes, etc.) and the density of coffee plants per hectare.
Come up with a measure of the health of each field according to soil nutrients, plant biodiversity, and total profitable production, which could be possibly used to forecast future use of the land.

Introduction:
My interest in this theme comes from my love of coffee. I know that coffee has a huge market in the United States, and I want to explore the roots of that market. I believe it is good to have knowledge about the things that you do in your life. I have also explored Agro-ecology and Sustainable Agriculture, which both directly relate to the shade-grown method of producing coffee, and the conservation of nutrients in a field.
My site of study is San Luis de Grecia in Alajuela. San Luis is located at approximately 1,700 meters (5,100 feet) above sea level The majority of the farms in this area are coffee farms, along with sugar cane and other fruits and vegetables. There is a “beneficio” or co-operative in San Luis where each farmer sells his coffee and I’m told is then sold to Starbucks Coffee®.
I also have an interest in the rising trend of organic farming, and shade-grown coffee, which when mixed creates an intercropping/ polyculture method which is good for conserving soil, soil nutrients, and maximizing production.