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Soils, Crops and Natural Resources of Costa Rica - Spring Break 2026

sfine — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:13:13 +0000

Coming Soon

Costa Rica

Program Director(s):

Program dates and itinerary are tentative and subject to change.

This study abroad program will explore agricultural systems, natural resources, and resource management in Costa Rica. Students will learn about the soils, crops, and environment of Costa Rica while gaining an appreciation of and respect for Costa Rican culture, the Spanish language, and Costa Rica nationalism. Stops will include interactions with many farmers who have a history with this ISU course - coffee, highland fruits, organic vegetables, sugarcane, pineapple, and spice production.

All students have the choice to enroll in either AGRON/GLOBE 4960 or JL MC 3900.

For students taking this as AGRON/GLOBE: Explore agricultural systems and tools, evaluate resource usage and strategies used for production in challenging environments.

For students taking this as Journalism and Mass Communication: Work on developing storytelling skills by blogging about agri-tourism and/or farm-to-table stories.

3 credits of AGRON 4960, GLOBE 4960, or JL MC 3900 for the spring 2026 semester

This program is typically offered every spring break. Program was last offered in spring 2024 and 2025.

Important Note Regarding Missing Classes
Please note that participation on some travel courses require you to be away from campus for some school days. The College of Agriculture & Life Sciences tries to minimize the number of days missed for this purpose, but in some events, the inflexibility of the travel schedule prevents us from working completely within our breaks. Should you choose to enroll in a travel course that requires missing some class(es) on campus, you will need to contact your instructor directly to inquire whether or not arrangements can be made to make up this class work and/or exams. The CALS �� office can provide you with a letter explaining the dates of the trip. However, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor to determine the potential impact on your grade before signing up for a �� program. The instructor is responsible for determining the impact of any absence from class.

Saturday, March 14, 2026 to Friday, March 20, 2026

Department:

Agronomy, Global Resource Systems, Journalism and Mass Communication

Type of Travel:

Travel Course

Application Deadline:

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Semester:

Spring

Learn more!

Year:

2025

Credits:

Agronomy Feature: Soils, Crops, and Natural Resources of Costa Rica ��

nicolerh — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 14:42:39 +0000

Lee Burras and Amber Anderson lead the Soils, Crops, and Natural Resources study abroad trip to Costa Rica. They recently led a group on this trip over Thanksgiving break and are gearing up to take another group over spring break. This upcoming trip will be ten days long and begin on March 9th. On this specific study abroad trip, students learn about agricultural systems, natural resources, and resource management in Costa Rica. They will get the opportunity to interact with farmers and participate in tours to coffee, highland fruits, organic vegetables, sugarcane, pineapple, and chocolate farms. Not only will these students learn about agriculture in a different country, but they will also be able to learn about the culture and language of Costa Rica.

Lee has been leading study abroad trips since 2002; since he started, he has led over 20 trips. Of course, within the past year, study abroad trips were either canceled or altered somehow. I asked Lee how the pandemic affected his most recent trip. He shared that “even with Covid19, it was very similar to past trips given our goal always includes participant health and well-being.” Going to a different country comes with challenges during a normal time which helped Lee to deal with the changes caused by the pandemic. It is always a top priority to ensure ISU faculty and students stay safe and healthy on study abroad trips. Lee shares that on the last trip, the only major changes were the mask mandates and extra travel insurance needed if one of the travelers needed to quarantine. Upon returning to the country, they had to be tested for Covid-19 before leaving Costa Rica. Another challenge that the pandemic presented was the backlog of passports, causing a lamination on the number of students that could go.

A senior in agronomy, Carly Strauser, attended the last study abroad trip to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving break. This trip presented a lot of firsts for Carly, her first study abroad experience, her first time out of the country, and her first time on an airplane. When asked what the experience was like, Carly responded with, “The trip to Costa Rica was a total of 10 days; it was the perfect amount of time for a beginner traveler, like myself. We got to see a lot of what the country had to offer while also not missing too much school or life at home. It was a great mix of adventures and downtime; we got to see what students were interested in while also exploring some on our own. This made the trip much more relaxing and enjoyable; we were able to learn a lot while also having fun.”

Carly shared that it was very interesting how Costa Rica was focusing on sustainability in agriculture because this is something that she is passionate about. She shares, “The farms we visited were making their compost, feeding cows fermented pineapple tops, using biologicals, and experimenting with other innovative practices as well.” One of Carly’s highlights from the trips was their in-country host, Gabby, visiting her farm. The students were able to provide recommendations on what she should do with her land. The students could use the information they learned in their agronomy classes and transfer it over and apply it to Costa Rica’s agriculture practices.

Lee and Carly both share similar advice for students thinking about participating in a study abroad program. Lee shares, “First, do it! Second, work with the CALS �� Office in setting it up.“ Carly shares, “If you are at all considering, I would recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and signing up for a trip. The shortened breaks over Thanksgiving or Spring break are an awesome way to have a great experience in a short amount of time!”

_{Original story posted by the Department of Agronomy, https://www.agron.iastate.edu/student-resources/soils-crops-and-natural-...}

Tags:

soils

crops

and Natural Resources of Costa Rica ��

costa rica

Agronomy

Author(s):

Department of Agronomy

Fall break study abroad trips open students’ eyes to different cultures

nicolerh — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:45:34 +0000

By: Amber Friedrichsen

With passports in hand and suitcases in tow, two groups of students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences boarded planes to study abroad during Iowa State University’s fall break. These faculty-led programs to Costa Rica and the United Arab Emirates provided students opportunities to witness international agriculture and develop a global perspective of the industry.

Soils, Crops and Water of Costa Rica

The group of students in Costa Rica traveled to many kinds of farms to understand the soil properties, crop production and water usage in various parts of the country. Image courtesy of Blake Van Der Kamp, sophomore in agricultural and life sciences education

The first group traveled to Costa Rica on a trip directed by Lee Burras, Morrill Professor in agronomy. Twenty-six students representing six different majors caught an early morning flight to the tropical country on Nov. 16. They spent the next 10 days visiting farms in various regions to learn about different kinds of crop production.

Students were acquainted with Costa Rica’s landscape on the first day of their trip by taking a guided tour through the forests surrounding the Miravalles volcano. Andisols, or mineral-rich soils formed in volcanic ash, make up a large portion of Costa Rica’s farmland. Understanding soil properties and the impact they have on plant growth was one of the main learning objectives of this program.

In the days to follow, the group toured a pineapple plantation, an organic vegetable farm, a coffee cooperative, and a highland fruit operation. At these stops, students learned about the growing seasons, harvesting practices, processing techniques and consumer demand for these crops.

During a visit to a pineapple plantation in Costa Rica, Iowa State students had the opportunity to plant trees in the owner's garden. The activity helped reinforce the plantation's mission of taking care of the environment throughout the stages of production.

Nathan Behrends, junior in agricultural studies, said his favorite part of the trip was trekking up the side of a mountain to see avocado, peach and plum trees. While Behrends found it fascinating these crops thrive in the cooler temperatures nearly 2,000 meters above sea level, he was equally as inspired by the farmer’s life story.

“He had just graduated from a university before returning to the family farm with plans to take it over and make improvements so their business can be more successful,” Behrends said. “It was great to hear from him, and I got to see how challenging it can be to farm on mountain ranges by means of hand labor. It made me really appreciate the work these farmers do.”

During the second half of the trip, students visited a bamboo farm and learned about the wide array of products made from it. They also ventured to a palm oil plantation where the farmers grew cacao, peppercorn, vanilla, and many other spices.

One especially unique aspect of the Costa Rica trip was the day the group got to visit their tour guide’s farm in the southern part of the country. Even though this property was not currently being used for crop production, this stop gave students the chance to apply their knowledge of agronomy and determine what the best uses of this land could be.

“Gabby, our tour guide, has a farm she inherited from her father that she is trying to develop,” Behrends said. “We walked around, surveyed the landscape, and studied the soil. She gave us the soil sample analyses and we got to dive a little deeper into this data to come up with recommendations for her about the plants she could grow and how to fertilize them.”

This kind of work is something many students on the trip aspire to pursue in their careers. Behrends is among these future agronomists, and he is grateful traveling to Costa Rica broadened his worldview.

“The agricultural industry is so vast, and I think there is a lot to learn and gain from the way other countries do things,” Behrends said.

Culture and Economic Diversification in the United Arab Emirates

Students who traveled to the United Arab Emirates learned about international business and economics while immersing themselves in a diverse culture. Image courtesy of Brooke Beinhart, senior in agricultural business

The second group of students departed to Dubai on Nov. 18. This program was led by Ebby Luvaga and Amani Elobeid, professors in economics, and Jean-Pierre Taoutel, associate professor in world languages and cultures.

The United Arab Emirates has the second-largest economy in the Arab world, which readily attracts foreign investment. The goals of this trip were to introduce students to banking and financial institutions in the country and for them to understand how business and trade are impacted by cultural diversity.

Two locations students visited that captured aspects of cultural diversity were the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Falcon Hospital in the capital city of Abu Dhabi. Brooke Beinhart, senior in agricultural business, said these tours were two of her favorite parts of the trip, and was especially amazed by the architecture of the mosque.

“The Grand Mosque left me absolutely breathless,” Beinhart said. “Every single aspect was built with so much detail that brought so much beauty to the structure.”

The following day, the group made their way to the 2020 Dubai Expo, which was postponed from last year due to COVID-19. Beinhart said this event lasts six months, from Oct. 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022. A total of 192 countries take part in it to showcase their commitment to better mobility, more opportunities, and focus on sustainability for the future.

Next, students traveled to the Jebel Ali Zone Area to learn about international trade and its significance to Dubai’s economy, as well as Ferrari World, home of the world’s fastest roller coaster. They also attended a virtual tour of the Dubai Islamic Bank.

Whitney Reever, senior in agricultural and life sciences education, said after the sun set on the sixth day the group got to experience a true Arabian night. Students left the city to go on a desert safari and took part in many cultural activities.

“We got to see what Dubai looks like outside of the skyscrapers and shiny cars,” Reever said. “We went on camel rides, got to watch a belly dancer, a fire dancer, tanoura (a common dance performed in the Middle East), and had an authentic dinner.”

The tail-end of the trip included stops at many tourist sites: Ski Dubai, the largest indoor ski resort; Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; and the Dubai Mall. Students also visited a souq, or a traditional Arab street market, where anything from spices to fine jewelry is sold.

Upon returning to Iowa State, Beinhart and Reever agree this trip was the opportunity of a lifetime. They appreciated learning about international business and economics, making connections between a diverse culture and their own.

“After traveling to the United Arab Emirates, I’ve definitely gained insight that will help shape my career as I move forward,” Beinhart said. “This experience opened my eyes to the world around me and helped me realize no matter where I am, we are all people with many of the same values.”

_{Original story published, https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/2021/fall-break-study-abroad-trips-ope...}

Tags:

soils

Crops and Water of Costa Rica

Culture and Economic Diversification in the United Arab Emirates

Fall 2021

Amber Friedrichsen

Author(s):

Amber Friedrichsen