Our group’s challenge for the day was to look past face value and go in depth with our choices as consumers and producers. We started off the day pretty early by going to La Casita, one of the few organic farms in Estelí. The Scottish owner, David Thompson, came to Nicaragua and started his business around thirty years ago to begin his permaculture lifestyle. For those who do not know, permaculture is a structure of agriculture where everything has a place and everything is connected in some way. David Thompson took this idea of permaculture and applied it to all aspects of his life. He explained how it is better for business to run in ways that benefit multiple parts of our world rather than affecting our world in a negative way for the sake of “efficient” business. He also went in depth about the massification of business (the practice of making luxury products available to the mass market) and how it can lead to big problems in our ecosystem. Providing us with all this information, he gave us a tour around his small organic farm with his daughter Eva, explaining what was done to preserve different types of plants and adapt to the terrain. Everyone also enjoyed a lovely 5 star healthy breakfast that was nutritious and delicious.

After seeing one method of business that revolved around natural methods of production and development, our group took a tour in a tobacco production plant.

Nicaragua is one of the top tobacco producers in the world and its economy is becoming reliant on this one export. By touring La Tabacalera, our group experienced what it is like in a big production factory. There are countless steps in developing a cigar which explains why a tour in a tiny building took two and a half hours… but it was important that our group saw the process of mass production.

After the long tours, our group went back to the hostel and discussed what type of business benefits the world the most. We came to a consensus that our world will benefit most from business that protects the world and its people so both can live long and thrive.

NOTE FOR LYNNEA REYNOLDS: Lauren Camarillo got on me about my posture today and I am improving and standing up straight;)