Biodiversity Transects

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=122cc8ee67cd998c&mt=application%2Fpdf&pli=1

Pushing forward

With about three weeks to go, the fatigue has started to set in, both physical and mental. This past week was full of events from the new volunteers Ria and Eli's arrival to the old volunteers Meghan and Dylan's departure, lots of arrangements, parties and transport. But not much in terms of progress on my research. I've come to understand, that's just the way things work round here and having patience with so little time left is frustrating. Its really different being here both as a researcher and not as a volunteer, and as an "older" individual compared to the others who are just out of undergrad or even younger in the community. Many times as much I'd love to hangout (and believe me Dominicans love to hangout) with everyone I find myself needing to read, organize my data, or head down to town for email. Long story short, it takes more time to really invest in people AND a project than I have in my short 3 months. For example, I can't tell you how many farmers I've interviewed that on my way out all I could think about was how much I wanted to return one day and work in the fields with that guy. Regardless, even with all the distractions and frustrations life has been full of beautiful scenery and relationships. Estoy contento.

To date, we've interviewed about 43 households, a fabulous sampling of farmers throughout the region, the crux is returning to at least 20 of them in the coming two weeks for a sample of coffee farm biodiversity. I'm hoping to hire a couple of folks from the farm in addition to the graduate student forester from Canada, Alex I was able to acquire.

Today was HOT so we spent most of it at the river watching the boys of El Dulce play El Manguito in a best three out of five baseball tournament. My brother comes on Saturday and Dad the week thereafter. I'm stoked to see and share with them. The plan is to continue to work really hard until then, accomplish what can be accomplished, make my recommendations to the coffee associations, and then chill for the remainder of my time. Back to Vermont end of the month with lots to do before school starts. Hope that summer rain has succeeded I'm ready for a short canoe trip and backyard bbq.

2nd and 3rd week of surveying

The past few weeks have been full of long days with new people and places. Most surprising has been the diversity of the landscape within the Pico Duarte watershed where I live. Our first stop was La Pelada, a true mountain coffee community of third generation farmers tucked into a narrow lush tropical valley. After a half hour of driving up a rocky road our journey ended at the river where we then walked the rest of the way on foot. Once arriving farmers where eager to talk with us, even lining up at some points to share their stories, hardships and to inquire as to why exactly we were there and what we were doing. This community had lots of exposure to foreign assistance, some programs I was aware of and some I was not. It was here I realized the importance of understanding the historical context of development in a region beforehand. Some had harsh sentiments towards previous development programs, while others were pleased with assistance and in the post harvest month of July all had time to talk about it.

In La Pelada efforts had included building a "beneficio" or coffee pulping and drying facility and helping farmers transition to full organic certification. The problem now was that the funding had ended and production yields had dropped. Furthermore, the price farmers were receiving for their organic coffee just wasn't enough to cover the extra labor and production costs of producing it. Labor in the DR is relatively expensive $9 a day compared to other tropical countries (eg. Nicaragua or El Salvador) growing coffee. Most households in La Pelada had one or more members working for a private community of millionaire homes called "quintal del bosque" at the bottom of the hill. Without this other source of income, most families had packed up and moved into the city of Jarabacoa, abandoning their coffee farms for day labor in the city.

The end of our second week was spent in the adjacent valley of La Lomita. Similar stories abounded, many had abandoned their coffee for environmentally destructive monoculture crops, like tayota squash which fetches a higher price in the market and provids year round income for the family in contrast to the once a year income earned from coffee. This will be a strong focus of my research in the coming year, how to save the coffee farmers of the central cordillera from these kinds of economic pressures. Diverse coffee landscapes offer a bundle of ecosystem services to both the household and broader landscape. My research will support this argument in the DR, then seek to analyze and provide recommendations for improving the coffee value chain and development assistance for small to medium producers.

After two weeks of surveying I decided it was time to take a break. I had heard from some friends that the most beautiful beaches in the DR were those of the southwestern province of Pedernales where my friend Nathaly was doing climate change surveying with communities around Lago Erinquillo. Nathaly and I agreed to meet up in the coastal town of Barahona, rent a car then drive out to Bahia de las Aguilas, supposedly THE most beautiful undeveloped beach. This was no lie, stunning it was and just the break I needed. On our way out to Pedernales we ran into a guide who had been working with my friend Chuck on bicknell thrush research in the southeast. He asked us if we knew about the cave and then proceeded to take us on a half kilometer walk into the shrub until we reach a cave full of ancient Taino pictographs. Check out the photos. Our hostel in Pedernales, Dona Chona, was a researchers heaven, wireless internet with a tropical plant shaded courtyard. And just when I thought things couldn't get any better... our second day Nathaly and I were dropped off on a deserted beach with three ladies from Spain and a cooler full of "frias." Que dura es esta vida!

Alright, some deliverables I completed the focus group summary document for all you rural livelihood geeks. I believe you'll find this 15 page summary very interesting. The focus group painted a socioeconomic picture of households in the region and provided a great way of introducing both myself and the research to the community. Also here are the pictures from the past two weeks. Dylan and Meghan the two volunteers that have been on the farm with me all summer leave this week, so its bitter sweet and a sign that summers moving by quickly. SO much more to do, but I'm looking forward to the Vermont fall. peace and love, Lee

PICTURES
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=leehgross&target=ALBUM&id=5359808039979823457&authkey=Gv1sRgCO3ep_OHx4SXHw&feat=email

FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.b2289507-a5b1-41f9-b8fb-f42266575352&hl=en

First week of surveying

First week we managed to interview nine households in three days in some of the most remote coffee country in the Central Cordillera!! Hours driving up degraded gravel roads through small communities stopping to ask each person we passed where the next coffee farmer on our list lived. "Perdon doña Ud. sabe donde vive el Señor Juan Jose Baseo Valerio?"

Our journey started in the valley of Jumunuco with its rolling fields of beans and pastor for cattle. As we drove onwards and upwards the fields quickly faded behind us to a pine, guama, banana and robust green caturra coffee plant dominated landscape as we entered Los Montansos, a small community of isolated third generation coffee farmers for our final interviews of the week. Next week, we'll move to the communities of La Pelada and La Lomita in our valley both of which are in transition to complete organic certification a contrast to the full conventional farms of the week before.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=leehgross&target=ALBUM&id=5354994042078485617&authkey=Gv1sRgCMP23pf-zZWcAQ&feat=email

Only in the DR