In the verdant expanses of Costa Rica's Bribri Indigenous Territory, along the Binational Sixaola River Basin, we can find Xiomara Cabraca Cabraca's farm: Finca Integral Buena Esperanza. It is a living classroom of sustainable practices and biodiversity. As an indigenous Bribri leader and agricultural producer, Xiomara and her husband Carlos Zeaz Dávila have transformed their land into a testament to the possibilities of organic farming and ecological stewardship.
The journey to their farm takes you through 'The Pera' road, where the air is filled with the scent of greenery. This leads you into a realm where nature and human nurture meet. Here, over 120 species of plants and animals coexist, cultivated through the wisdom passed down by Xiomara's mother, who advocated for diversification in farming—a little bit of everything, from fruits to tubers, alongside poultry and livestock.
“My mother passed down to us women the practice of diversified cultivation, ensuring we have a bit of everything”
Xiomara remembers.
Fruit, timber, and tubers. Chickens, turkeys, and pigs. Banana, plantain, coffee, and cocoa. It is a lesson of sustainable agriculture that Xiomara practices mixing traditional knowledge and innovative agricultural practices. The farm thrives under a polyculture model, where intercropping—planting multiple crops nearby—is the norm. This method not only mimics natural ecosystems but also enhances the resilience of the crops. "We never plant just one crop alone; we mix, ensuring fruits and other plants complement each other," Xiomara explains, her hands gesturing towards the lush canopy of green that blankets her farm.
Water is the lifeline of Finca Buena Esperanza. The farm is cradled by a stream that nourishes the land and its inhabitants. Xiomara and Carlos cherish this resource, employing natural methods to preserve its purity.
"We’ve seen that the “nacedero” plant (Trichanthera gigantea, a shrub also known as ‘water mother’) sprouts where there is water. We have also observed that where the water is turbid, we plant the nacedero, and it purifies the water.",
says the indigenous leader, demonstrating one of the ways the Bribri People connect with the environment.
If hands are needed, Xiomara calls upon family members, women, youth, or people from the community. They also exchange experiences with other local producers. More than a practice, it is a way of living; they maintain the worldview of the Bribri People. It is the resistance to an unsustainable model that has predominated in the Binational Sixaola River Basin, the one of monoculture of banana and plantain.
"We remain organic because we believe that money is important but not primary. What matters most is health, the environment, and preserving them. If we start using chemicals on the farm, once we run out of chemicals, there's no production. However, with natural methods, there's always production”
Xiomara explains with clarity and pride.
Her ancestral cocoa trees are particularly dear to her, cultivated not just for family consumption but also sold to the Association of Indigenous Women of Talamanca (ACOMUITA). This organization helps add value to cocoa, transforming it into various products like paste and drinking chocolate, thereby supporting local women economically. They give added value to the cocoa, selling it in paste, chocolate for drinking, ingredient of pastries, and grain per kilo.
Supported by the Proyecto Conectando Comunidades y Ecosistemas, Xiomara has expanded her farm's biodiversity by introducing new tree species, like moringa, which bloom profusely and enhance the habitat for local wildlife. She also utilizes mountain microorganisms, a bio-input that enriches the soil and boosts plant health.
"We noticed that other bird species arrive, like parrots, for example. So, we find it interesting to plant other tree species on the farm. In the cocoa plantation, we introduced new species like moringa. It is a bush that blooms a lot. We apply a lot of mountain microorganisms (a bio input known as MM) to the ground with good results”,
she says.
As Xiomara looks to the future, she sees both challenges and immense potential. The farm is not only a source of sustenance but also a hub of learning for community children and visiting students. She knows about the need for careful planning to maintain the integrity of her land and its teachings. "This farm can be a model for sustainable tourism, one that educates rather than exploits," she states firmly.
"It must be planned because we won't achieve our goal without planning. We need to understand that this farm can welcome tourism for educational purposes. However, we must avoid commercializing it too much; otherwise, it deviates from the traditional Bribri way "
Xiomara reiterates.
Her final message to fellow women producers in the Sixaola River Basin is clear:
"We need to actively engage the younger generation because the food we rely on comes from the land. Teach them that our food, our water, and our way of life are sacred. We must protect them as they sustain us."
Xiomara Cabraca Cabraca stands as a pillar of resilience and hope, her life's work is a blueprint for future generations aspiring to live harmoniously with the land. Her farm is more than just soil and crops; it is a legacy of environmental respect and cultural reverence, echoing through the lush landscapes of Costa Rica.
Check the full reportage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erg4M7Pv2m4
About the project
Towards the Transboundary Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) of the Sixaola River Basin shared by Costa Rica and Panama is a GEF project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and executed by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET) of Costa Rica.
Divulgated in communication actions as Proyecto Conectando Comunidades y Ecosistemas (traduced from Spanish as Connecting Communities and Ecosystems), it works with communities and institutions of Costa Rica and Panama to: Strengthen coordinated transboundary action; Set the conditions to achieve real water management; Restore river ecosystems; Reduce risks of disasters by flooding; and Collaborate in the reduction of the excessive agrochemicals use in banana and plantain crops.
For more information, please contact Manuel Sancho Gutiérrez, (manuel.sancho@tropicalstudies.org), and visit the project page on iwlearn.net.
© 2026 IW:LEARN
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