Agriculture is the main activity of Bribri indigenous communities of Costa Rica, with more than 120 wild and domestic crop species planted per hectare to provide food, construction materials, crafts, medicine, firewood and commercial exchange. By developing human resources within these communities using an agriculture research oriented, farmer-participatory, systems approach, community structures are strengthened to confront influences from both inside and outside the region, assuring that Bribri culture and traditional farming knowledge are preserved and supported. Agriculture research utilizes multidisciplinary on-farm participatory techniques to develop essential capabilities and attitudes in farm family members. Current research projects focus on swine control and management, agronomic features of the traditional bio-diverse farming system (a form of agroforestry), and the marketing of alternative crops. Formal and non-formal educational programs within communities are used to socialize knowledge gained by investigations and to develop local human resources which in turn strengthen community structures like farm families, medicine men, clans, youth and high school groups, women's groups, drug and alcohol prevention groups, and others. This approach helps farmers become valuable human resources who participate in processes of social change while still desiring to remain and work on family farms, preventing urban migration. Extending experiences to more farms enhances local farming systems as they are continuously modified to become more appropriate under different conditions. Experience in bio-diverse farming systems demonstrates an integrated approach to community development and research, as the Bribri people walk their own path to development.  

Bribri bio-diverse farms are sustainable perennial polyculture systems that mimic natural rainforest architecture. They use natural nutrient cycling and symbiotic relationships between plants, insects, birds, bats, and other animals to provide natural mechanisms for pest control, incorporate soil rejuvenating legume trees, and produce relay harvests throughout the year. The development of human resources helps the Bribri people to determine the importance of retaining these valuable agroecological characteristics in their traditional farming systems, along with choosing appropriate new technology. The resulting farming system is more appropriate with respect to biophysical, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions than both the traditional farms and the "technological packages" introduced from outside. Bribri women have traditionally been the owners and managers of swine, so the swine management learning process includes 80% women, enhancing gender equity and improving the stature of women in the community. Research within the bio-diverse farming systems has helped both Bribris and project facilitators to gain a deeper understanding of these complex traditional farming systems and to raise the consciousness of all involved to realize and begin more learning processes which naturally arise from within the indigenous population itself. 

Conserve Resources

Use of bio-diverse cropping systems minimizes erosion because topsoil is protected by increased leaf litter fall and conserves endemic crop species. Capital conservation is enhanced by reducing dependence on external inputs for household and farm use.

Manage Ecological Relationships

Increased plant biodiversity provides flowering and aromatic ornamental plants that attract beneficial insects, birds, and bats providing natural pest control and optimum flower pollination. Shading and allelopathy are used to decrease weed incidence and also provides natural plant barriers preventing fungal spore transmission between crops from similar plant families. Many leguminous trees and shrubs exist in the bio-diverse farms, thus providing biological nitrogen fixation. Crop biodiversity creates many usable species for household use.The bio-diverse farms include perennial crops that provide shade to decrease soil water loss and fungal disease incidence and increases the efficiency of nutrient cycling

Adjust to Local Environments

The bio-diverse cropping system mimics the natural rainforest, thus optimizing productive potential in the wet humid rainforest ecosystem.

Diversify

Efficient crop diversification is achieved by using indigenous knowledge to arrange plant association in polyculture systems on the bio-diverse farms using traditional intercropping techniques and integrating swine and poultry that forage within these farming systems at appropriate times. Bio-diverse farms are designed to produce diverse products, including both household goods and crops for commercial sale.

Empower People

On-farm participatory agricultural techniques improve local human development and retain valuable characteristics of traditional indigenous knowledge. Indigenous people and communities are empowered and strengthened by programs to enhance cultural expression, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, and improve education. Women are empowered by orienting development processes, such as swine management improvement, toward their strengths in the community.

Maximize Long-Term Benefits

For thousands of years, the Bribri people have dedicated themselves to agriculture, and their traditional bio-diverse farms maximize intergenerational benefits, not just annual profits. Long-term strategies are used to design and maintain these farming systems which build soil fertility and ensure soil organic matter development over the long-term. Long-term benefits are socially maximized by facilitating generational land transfers to male and female offspring alike. Traditional farming systems, with their immense crop biodiversity as well as customary swine production, are the traditional "banking" systems that support Bribri livelihood and quality of life. 

Methodology details will soon be available at the Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences (FUNDAEC) website.