Rural development in Costa Rica

The work is based on the opinions of residents, farmers, merchants, teachers, and local government officials of 860 communities. The interviews explored employment, population and migration, agricultural production and obstacles to increased production, basic services, farm-to-market roads, educational and health facilities, industry, commerce, and the effects of action by local and national government. The study finds that small farmers generate between three and four times more employment per hectare than large farms and are generally as productive as medium and large farms. This suggests a program aimed at intensified agriculture production, primarily by moving away from using land for pasture to use for annual and perennial crops and by encouraging technologies appropriate for efficient production on the smaller farms. It is essential that this be complemented with small scale industries to insure steady markets and better prices. The agriculture policy must be focused on employment generation, production, the protection of national resources, the creation of rural industries, and the improvement of basic services and infrastructure. A national, regional, and local planning program is considered to help coordinate efforts toward these goals.