The Community Development Program (CDP) enables students to learn from local farmers, deepening their understanding of the problems facing rural communities so they will be better equipped to respond to them.

Students participate in local development efforts, giving them an opportunity to put their skills and knowledge into practice. They also serve as a bridge to the local community, making EARTH´s resources available to area farmers.

The program includes seven months of off-campus, community work with farmers, cooperatives, governments and small agribusinesses for one full day per week. CDP initiatives focus on three areas: Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Entrepreneurship and Human Development. Students help farmers and small agribusinesses assess the potential of their operations and develop viable projects that increase productivity in environmentally sensitive ways.

CDP projects include:

• Helping farming families develop and implement land use plans for sustainable agriculture to improve production techniques and gain access to local markets.
  
  
• Teaching community farmers precision agriculture strategies to reduce the use of pesticides and better understand the biological processes that sustain their farms.
  
  
• Demonstrating higher standards of production for local dairy farmers, which provides access to new markets and results in increased income from milk production.
  
  
• Designing marketing strategies for local producers of milk, coffee, medicinal plants, hot peppers, tropical roots, eggs and other agribusinesses.
  
  
• Conducting eco-literacy programs for elementary school children on environmental awareness and eco-friendly agricultural practices, among other issues.

As part of the CDP, EARTH launched the Open School for Farmers in 2005, which enables small producers to take courses at EARTH in advanced farming techniques and business practices.

“EARTH students taught me that no one is better than anyone else. We are all equals. I´ve come to realize that people who say that if you can´t read or write you are not worthy…that is a big lie. I couldn´t go to school or university, but I still have a great amount of knowledge.”
—Mrs. Flor Saenz, Flower Grower, La Argentina, Costa Rica

“EARTH brings students to our farms and they learn to develop along with us. As a farmer, I have also benefited and learned. For example, I used to practice monoculture. I didn´t even know what a diversified farm was. Now I have varied my crops, turned my farm into an agro-tourism project and I sell organic coffee.”
—German Lopez, Local Farmer, La Argentina, Costa Rica