Keirstan: Counting down the days!

Hola mi amigos! This is about as much Spanish as I know, so my week in Costa Rica will be an exciting challenge.  My name is Keirstan Kure, I am a senior studying Plant Science (Agroecology) with minors in International Agriculture and Geography.  I enjoy learning about sustainable agriculture, how to grow different crops and cropping systems that increase soil health.  Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I am so happy to have been able to call Penn State my home for the last three years. 

Picture of me and my brothers, they are my best friends
and I love adventuring with them 

Throughout my time here I have been involved in many activities including working for Food Services as a Sustainability Coordinator through which I developed a reusable takeout container program to reduce the amount of waste coming from styrofoam containers in the dining commons.  Currently I serves as the President of the Student Farm Club, which is a very active club that works to engage and educate students about the food system by providing hands on project and farm opportunities.  Outside of the food, agriculture and sustainability realm, I am also involved in Penn State Thon, the Penn State Sailing Club and spend my spare time in coffee shops or in the woods hiking.  I am very much looking forward to seeing and learning about the topography of Costa Rica and how their agricultural systems work in the mountains.  During the fall of my junior year, I spent the semester in Florence, Italy studying sustainable food systems and Italian, so I am bound to mix up what little Spanish I know with Italian.  I loved studying and traveling in Europe but could not be more excited to travel to Costa Rica and experience a completely different culture, way of life and farming scene (if you couldn’t tell I love food and farming).  I spent a great deal of time traveling while in Europe and am anxious to pack my backpack and get going!

During my time in Costa Rica, I hope to learn how food cooperatives contribute to community development and food security.   Across the world, agriculture and cooperatives are being used as a means of empowerment on an individual and community level as well as a means of providing and gaining access to fresh, nutritious, high quality food.  I am curious about if and how those patterns are playing out in Pacayitas as well as neighboring towns.  Where and who are the market for these products and how are they contributing to food security and access?  I am particularly excited for all of the farm visits so I can observe and gain hands on experience with crops and farming systems that I am not familiar with, especially when Paige said we would be visiting a coffee plantation and processor.  I am a self-proclaimed coffee addict so I think I will fit in the coffee drinking culture very well.  I am counting down the days to get on the plane!