Coffee and Coca

Yesterday two more students from agronomy defended their research projects and graduated. The first was Pánfilo Montesinos. He tested two plant extracts as natural insecticides against coca loopers (Eloria sp.), insect larvae that can consume whole coca fields. He found that in the laboratory, these two plant extracts killed the pests in concentrations as small as 4 pounds of leaves used per acre.


Photo: New graduate Pánfilo harvesting leaves of one of his insecticidal plants, hualusa de monte.

Then Sonia Cordero defended her project. She compared different kinds and mixes of substrates in different sized pots for coffee seedling production, and found that a mix of 25% chicken manure with 75% soil in the largest available plastic pots was the best solution for our coffee farmers. Her experiment was very complex, and she struggled to finish, and we were all very proud of her fortitude and dedication.

Both students made special mention of Sister Damon and how she encouraged them throughout their time at the college. Though our foundress is not close in physical geography, she is very close in the geography of our hearts. Thank you, Sister Damon, for your vision and your love that helped these students' dreams become reality.