Costa Rica Conservation Trust

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Costa Rica Conservation Trust (CRCT) is
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Sustainable Management of Pig Farms

Where? Northern area of the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor

Objective: Protect the environmental integrity of the waterways of the Savegre watershed.

To whose benefit? Communities of El Brujo, El Llano, Savegre, San Marcos and Piedras Blancas

When? Aug. 2004 - January 2007

Description: This project was begun in mid 2004 in response to the petition of local farmers that something should be done about the contamination of the river due to unsustainable pig farms in the area. Upon investigating the situation, it was found that there were over 15 pig farmers in a small area (some with over 10 heads) that are not managing their pig wastes appropriately and many were channeling the wastes directly into the streams and rivers.

Thus, in coordination with a group of local leaders, a project was designed to take action to make sure all the polluting pig farms in the area converted to sustainable pig farms. In April 2005 local farmers received workshops on three sustainable alternatives for managing pig wastes:

The workshops were based on theory and hands-on practice (in other words, participants helped build, etc). The project also included a visit to a local demonstration farm, and the cooperative building of a septic tank and biodigestor at two local farms.

Local pig farmers have low-interest microcredits available to them if they need monetary resources to convert to sustainable pig farming practices. In addition, two local community groups have offered free labor to help them.

The Comité de Subcuenca División Abajo will be giving long-term maintenance to this project in coordination with the Ministry of Health. They have designed their long-term strategy to include an annual inspection, along with the Ministry of Health, to all the new pig farms in the area, as well as random checks on existing pig farms that they suspect may be polluting their river.

Current Status: Currently in evaluation stage. The Comité de Subcuenca, along with the Ministry of Health, will be visiting the problematic pig farms in October 2005 and again in December 2005, December 2006 and every December thereafter. These visits will assure that pig-farmers have stopped contaminating the river. The presence and commitment of the Ministry of Health to be a part of the inspections will provide the needed edge to make sure polluting pig farms convert to non-polluting, sustainable farms, or get shut down.

Contributing partners/funding: Vicaría Pastoral Social de la Tierra provided the workshop leader, technical knowledge, and designed the educational booklet that was provided to all participants. El Comité de Subcuenca División Abajo coordinated the project at the local level, reporting to CRCT who the contaminating pig farmers were, delivering special invitations them to attend the workshops, etc. La Asociación de Productores de El Llano also helped by identifying the problematic pig farmers and persuading them to attend the workshops and offered free labor to pig farmers needing to build a waste treatment for their pigs. ARAUCARIA provided funding to cover costs such as transportation, printing, food/snacks, the materials to build the biodigestor and spectic tank, salaries, etc. ($2,900). The Comité de Crédito de El Brujo offered low interest, micro-credits to pig farmers that need them to convert to sustainable management of their wastes.