| For many years coffee was the
most important crop in The Meseta area. Coffee was the crop that made
the medium scale farmers of Masatepe, San Marcos and El Crucero able
to push down the old political establishment from power. First they
took over the Liberal Party, then the country and finally with the
efforts of the generals Moncada and
Somoza, they gained the confidence of the
USA. Recently under the leadership of Arnoldo Alemán they returned to
power for a short period - although repeating many of the mistakes
from the past, hence they only got one period of 5 years. With the last decade's
frequent crisis at the coffee markets, the crop has lost its importance
for the local economy. Especially in the lower parts, such as
Masatepe-Nandasmo-Niquinohomo coffee is no longer rentable as an
intensive crop.
The coffee farms are now slowly being converted to areas with all round agroforestry. Some farmers use a form of very extensive cultivation, where
the forest trees slowly take over from the coffee, as they regenerate
willingly between the coffee bushes. Others are giving more space for
fruits, taking advantage of the proximity to the countries largest
cities.
This agroforestry mix forms a very attractive landscape, and it is
worth a trip round in
the coffee areas. |
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