Spring Break Volunteer Abroad Opportunity
Volunteer in Costa Rica Over Spring Break
http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/programs/americas/costaricancoffee/index.shtml
Costa Rican Coffee from Community to Cup: March 14th - 21st
Discover firsthand the impacts of your consumer choices while helping coffee farmers and scientists improve production methods for the environment and for local communities. Volunteers on this program work with researchers to collect data on soil conditions, shade tree coverage, erosion, plant yield, and many other aspects of coffee plant production. You'll use GIS technology to map the biodiversity in the region and help determine the factors that affect farms' sustainability. The data will be shared with the farmers of the cooperative, about 20% of whom are women, who are committed to maintaining and improving their record of environmentally-friendly and economically-just growing practices. While on the expedition, you'll have the opportunity to visit and conduct research on many different coffee farms, interact extensively with local farmers, visit a local coffee processing plant owned by the cooperative, participate in an official coffee tasting, learn about issues affecting fair trade and organic coffees, and sometimes revel in the very best of homemade Costa Rican cuisine.
For more information visit the Learning Abroad Center in 230 Heller Hall, online at http://www.umabroad.umn.edu, or contact Sarah Tschida at tschi066@umn.edu.