The Feria Verde in San José, Costa Rica is a growing model of sprouting organic movement.

Faviana Scorza manages the new organic market in a hidden neighborhood in the heart of downtown San José. Faviana speaks about the joys and challenges that come with the job of bringing farmers together with consumers.

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In the end, the work resonates with the many others in the world dedicated to reverting our planet into a more natural state of being by nurturing and respecting the earth from the rich soil to the ripe fruits.

The success of this market shows through in the bounty it brings.

  1. When we arrive at organic markets, the produce has gone through a long process to get there. Where do you even start when trying to bring organic produce to consumers?




    The sales are direct from farmers to producers. The produce comes from local farms in Costa Rica such as San Carlos, Guapiles, Cartago, etc. Ninety percent of the produce is local, and we only allow imported products when they cannot be found in Costa Rica like olive oil, wine etc.




  2. Why did you choose to work in organic produce in Central America?

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    I’m Costa Rican. I wanted to help empower brave farmers who risk a lot to keep me and my country healthy. I have a business degree, but I wanted to put my knowledge and skills into a project that would help local people more than to help big corporations that aren’t from Costa Rica.




    I believe in keeping it local and engaging with my community in hopes of making my community better.

  3. What is the biggest challenge you encounter with farmers?




    I will say more that the challenge is with consumers, not farmers. Farmers produce in an organic and artesanal way because they love what they do and they believe in this.




    Farmers are great, well educated people – they know what they are doing and why. It’s more connecting with the consumers that is the challenge. Farmers need to sell everything that they harvest, and if consumers are not loyal, the farmer alone assumes all the risk.

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  4. How do you get the traditional farmers you work with to understand produce they may have never even heard of before?




    They are the most open minded people I have ever met. They are eager to have new and diversified seed banks from which to plant and bring product to customers.




    The organic market, Feria Verde in Costa Rica, is different from all markets that I’ve ever been to. Me, as a manager, I’ve gotten the chance to try so many new and different things (vegetables, fruits, and greens), all given to me by the farmers.

  5. In a climate with so much rain and lots and lots of insects, how does a tomato or a stalk of celery manage to survive long enough to make it to market?




    Because our farmers produce without pesticides, it is high risk for sure. Some farmers have green houses to plant in and others don’t. It’s super hard to harvest food and maintain high quality with strong rain, sun, wind, and insects. Also you won’t find monoculture on any of the farms because that’s even riskier.




    Most organic farms cultivate with high levels of crop diversification, so when a tomato gets affected by an insect the farmer can still sell cucumbers, lettuce, garlic, onion, bok choy and beans.




    They divide the risk through diversification of planting. Also these farmers are special in that they walk their fields daily and are in touch with each crop constantly so they can be quick to make an adjustment if they have to.




    Within their planted areas you can find also medicinal and aromatic plants that protect the produce naturally as well.



  6. What are some surprising practices you found when you first began this work?




    I found that my knowledge was really weak regarding organics. I didn’t understand the real meaning of this movement. Organic is actually the practice of giving life to the soil, it’s love and respect for the nature around us.




    I never thought about how complex and difficult the process is to bring healthy food to my table. Now I have much more respect for food and in my house we try really hard to only buy what we can eat.




    We are able to diversify what we eat as well. For example, one week we buy yucca, the next week it’s potatoes, the following week tiquisque and so on. I know my body appreciates the diversification of diet and this healthy food that I have started to eat.




    Since May 2010, I haven’t got sick once. I believe that instead of investing in chemical medicines, we can be more preventative with our healthcare and invest in healthy foods. That is, those rich with nutrients and minerals.

  7. What is the toughest obstacle you face in organic farming for markets?




    Loyalty from the consumers. It’s a challenge that we are working on more and more now. It’s all about education.




    Our consumers need to realize that this is all a lot bigger than just food. It’s community health. It’s also the health of the land and the soil too. The other big obstacle is that we have yet to form a really strong partnership with the government.

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  8. Do you work with farmers to transition from conventional farming to organic?




    Yes we do! We want to improve the food system in Costa Rica, and we want everyone to have access to local, organic, healthy food. We support the farmers by providing a venue and they in turn support each other through knowledge sharing.




    We also work to create capacity through the Organic Agriculture branch of the INA (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje) which is free and public. We are also organizing courses for our farmers through other international sustainable food organizations.

  9. How has your market grown over the years?




    We inaugurated the market on May 15th, 2010 with 16 tents and 7 farmers. Today, a year later, we have 25 tents and 18 farmers approximately. We now have producers of bread, honey, prepared food, mushrooms, cheese, jelly, chicken, etc.
  10. What is the biggest reward you get from this challenging work?




    I get to work with the most extraordinary people ever. Every day is different, every market is unique.


    Susan Lutz – Living in Costa Rica.

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    Written by Susan Lutz who is a film maker and writer living in Costa Rica. Her documentary film, The Coffee Dance available for sale an Amazon.com, follows a group of women in the depths of poverty as they strive for empowerment. She teaches film and lectures in Costa Rica. She’s produced radio documentaries and is currently finishing her first travel book on Costa Rica. She writes an internationally recognized blog on life in Costa Rica, Motherjungle.com and is the editor of the Organic Living Page on Allthingshealing.com

    The Feria Verde website is here.

    Kirlian Photography – The Irridology of the future?

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