The Ann Kriebel/San Luis Project in Costa Rica

ANN KRIEBEL, a graduate of Westtown School ('73) and Earlham College ('77), traveled to Costa Rica in the early 1980s to live and work in the Quaker community in Monteverde. While there, she served as a volunteer in the San Luis Valley, a farming area about a one-hour walk downhill from Monteverde. Ann made this trek almost daily to help provide a community education program in literacy, health care, nutrition, and the environment. While working there, Ann died unexpectedly, but her life continues as an inspiration to so many today.

In her honor, and in the spirit of the 1992 UN Conference on the Environment and Development, Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) is supporting a project in sustainable agriculture for landless farmers living close to the Monteverde biological reserves-a blending of nature preservation, conservation agriculture, and human services.

Between 1993 and 1999, working with the Santa Elena Cooperative, QEW members and other  individuals contributed funds to purchase 122 acres called "Finca la Bella" (the Beautiful Farm).

Since 1995 a representative commission has established policy and provided oversight for the farm. Commission members now come from local groups, including the La Bella farmers' association, Monteverde Friends Meeting, the farmers' association, and the Monteverde Institute, which is dedicated to education for a sustainable and peaceful future.

Successes

FINCA LA BELLA has been busy over its short lifetime, inspiring all of us with a vision of an environmentally sustainable and peaceful world.

Land for landless families. On these 122 acres, 24 previously landless families have 25-year renewable leases on two- to four-acre parcels. About a third of the farm is preserved in forest.

Sustainable agriculture. Parcelero farmers use hand cultivation, have minimized or eliminated chemical use and have planted many windbreaks.

Kindergarten for local pre-schoolers. As Ann Kriebel would have appreciated, a donor-supported community "kinder" for 4- to 6-year-olds, opened on La Bella in 1994, now prepares 15 to 20 children for 1st grade. 

Local health clinic. A two-room clinic, staffed by government employees and community volunteers two to three days a month, has been built on the farm.

Farmers' association. Asociaci¢n Finca la Bella-Ana Kriebel was incorporated in 2000, and makes farm-level decisions.

Agricultural exchanges. Between 1998 and 2000, eight parceleros and parceleras chosen by the com-munity visited and worked on organic farms in the U.S. and Canada. Visitors from those countries also have gone to La Bella to work and learn.

Ongoing education for farmers. Farmers have attended courses on organic agriculture, accounting and marketing, biodynamic agriculture, organizational dynamics, tourism, and guiding.

Land trust. The parcelero association, QEW, the Monteverde Institute, and the Costa Rican Environmental Law Foundation (CEDARENA, www.cedarena.org) are creating a land trust and conservation easement for La Bella, to provide a secure basis for the future of the farm.

Community building. The families have constructed a timber frame community building using local renewable materials.  

Tree nursery. A grant-funded nursery produces native fast-growing trees for windbreaks, fruit trees, and forest trees for birds like the quetzal. These seedlings are primarily for on-farm use, but some are sold for conservation projects.

Challenges

PROGRESS does not come without some struggle. Finca la Bella faces the following challenges:

Legal fees. QEW and local institutions are working with CEDARENA and the Monteverde Institute to develop and monitor a land trust and easement to protect the farm and farmers, which will involve legal expenses.

Capital for farmers. A credit union or revolving loan fund for farmers is needed to facilitate startup and infrastructure development.

Nurturing leadership. QEW, the Monteverde Institute, and the parceleros agree that local leadership needs to be strengthened to bring the project to full maturity.

While the challenges are not insignificant, the spirit is sturdy and commitment is strong!

Want to get involved?

1. Contribute financially to Finca la Bella.

If you would like to contribute to the project , send a check payable to QEW (memo line: Ann Kriebel/San Luis Project or "AK/SL") to:

Quaker Earthcare Witness
173-B N. Prospect St.
Burlington, VT 05401-1607 USA

Contributions are tax-deductible in the United States. Canadians may contribute through the Canadian Friends Service Commitee.

2. Buy coffee produced at Finca La Bella

Coffee produced on Finca la Bella is sold as Cafe Monteverde by the Santa Elena Cooperative through Montana Coffee Traders in the U.S.

Coffee may be bought in bulk and resold at retail prices as a fund-raiser for the Finca la Bella project.

For more information call or write:

Montana Coffee Traders
5810 Highway 93 South
Whitefish MT 59937
1-800/345-5282 <www.coffeetraders.com>

3. Visit Finca la Bella

Many of the parcelero families welcome visitors for stays in their homes ranging from a few days to several months. Visitors pay to stay in a spare room, eat meals with families, pick coffee (November through January), and work in the tree nursery, kinder, or other projects on the farm.

Visitors need not know Spanish, but should be willing to learn. Language schools are available in the Monteverde area. More information is available on the QEW website, www.QuakerEarthcare.org.

Visits are arranged by contacting Tim Curtis at the Monteverde Institute, c/o:

Instituto Monteverde
Apdo. 69-56655 Monteverde
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tel: 506/645-5053; 506/645-5219
E-mail: mvi@mvinstitute.org; www.mvinstitute.org/trust/

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