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SMALL FARMER, BIG PLANS continued from page 47 SHIFTING CLIMATE: (clockwise from left) Dry soil before the much needed rainy season; Toñito gets a feel for the new fertilizer; the beans grown on Toñito's land are vital subsistence crops for his family. this better understanding of the soil in his field and the fertil- izers necessary will also help increase his quality. It has been a little more than 20 years since Toñito's father gave him the land that he still farms. When he first took charge of the plot, it was nothing more than a barren field. With the help and guidance of his father, and later on his own, Toñito worked to gradually plant coffee on uncultivated parts of his land. Because it takes three years of investment before new plants experience their first harvest, the process requires both patience and a sense of resourcefulness. Toñito has always had a new part of his field in development, using the income from other sections of his field to pay for the extra costs. Today he has eight acres of land, about half of which is being used to grow coffee. ENVIRONMENTAL AFFECTATIONS Not all the change in San Carlos has been positive, however. One lingering enemy is a shifting climate. "When I was a kid, it was really cold this time of year," says Toñito. "There were heavy rains and strong winds. … It has changed a lot; now we live in a warm climate." Higher temperatures have been accompanied by a 48 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com change in rain patterns; the rainy season that typically dawns in mid-May didn't begin until mid-June this year. That one month of drier weather has affected the delicate dance that San Carlos resi- dents perform to create a harvest every year: Without irrigation systems or large machinery to till fields, farmers often wait to pre- pare the ground for planting until several good rains have fallen. Essentially, life gets put on hold until rain restores life to the soil. Toñito is the first to take responsibility for these seasonal changes. "I say there is nobody but ourselves to blame," he says, "because we are cutting down forests … and have used many chemicals. All of these things make changes." The weather com- plications haven't made it easy on the people of San Carlos. The life of a farmer is inherently uncertain—harvests are good some years and bad others, while prices are constantly changing—and varying climates add yet another layer of unpredictability. This isn't to say that nothing can be done, Toñito says. "It is important that everybody takes responsibility for what they have," he explains. "Everybody needs to learn and put into prac- tice the things we have learned." Toñito cites examples such as planting trees near water sources and avoiding use of herbicides. He says that coffee farmers around the world are working to