Video

Interview with Edgar Corrales

What do you think are the major benefits that Eco Piñas has brought to the community since its inception in 2008?

Most importantly, jobs for the local community of the San Carlos area. The workers not only have a fixed income but also receive social benefits such as health care programs etc. The local infrastructure has also been improved and that is benefiting the community.  Ultimately, the most important benefit that Ecopiñas has brought to the community is the reestablishment of forests through means of reforestation of native species, increasing biodiversity and recuperating the ecological corridors that had before been eliminated.

What are some of the examples of innovations you are looking at?

We need to acknowledge that many of these organic practices were used by our forefathers many years ago and were abandoned during the 40’s due to the “Green” Revolution. Today these ancestral practices yield excellent results especially when combined with scientific efforts to increase innovation within the organic pineapple sector. Innovation is not only inventing new practices but also improving current practices. Innovations we have adopted at Ecopiñas include: using a mixture of plant extracts to combat pests, using beneficial bacteria and fungus from our farm to combat pineapple disease, using flaming to kill weeds in the fields, and the production of organic fertilizers from the farms’ organic waste

What activities is the farm undertaking as part of the “Carbon Neutral” program?

Ecopiñas has taken on a proactive role within the country’s strategy to become carbon neutral by the year 2021. The farm is one of the pilot operations selected to participate in the measurement, reduction and compensation of carbon emissions. The carbon footprint for the farm has been determined using international standards and key practices have been identified that contribute to the mitigation of climate change including: incorporation of crop residue into the soil (carbon sequestration potential), an on farm composting process that reduces waste and the amount of organic fertilizer transported from afar, implementation of vortex valves in the farm’s tractors that reduce fuel consumption by 10%, training of machinery operators for fuel efficiency;  a current project for off-peak electrical consumption, staggered motor startups, and the use of precision-agriculture technology to control tractor fuel use and agricultural practices; and research into the potential use of crop waste as an alternative fuel.  Ecopiñas also aims to reforest all the areas that are not planted with pineapple; more than 7000 trees have been planted throughout our farms.