About Us
Ariana and Fernando
We are a couple of young entrepreneurs, who decided to make our life project together: Ariana Oporta McCarthy, a biologist by profession and Fernando Rodríguez Rivera, a doctor by profession, graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba. We both are conservationists and farmers by vocation who are passionate about nature. We grew up in Talamanca, a mainly agricultural area. We currently carry out our family business in organic agriculture.
Our family project of Finca la Subversiva arose with the idea of taking responsibility for improving a little piece of land in our area. We are working to improve the ecosystem and change the environment in which we live. At the same time, we want to improve the health of our neighbors through the production of healthy food. In addition, we feel the responsibility to leave a healthier environment for our children.
The project is a farm of about 9 hectares located in the community of Watsi (Volio). The farm is crossed by a river of the same name. This land has more than 100 years of agricultural history. It dates back to when the United Fruit Company's banana exploitation began
at the beginning of the 20th century in this area. In fact, part of the railway network ran through the farm and there are still remains. Later, there were cocoa crops and for the last 30 years the farm was cultivated with bananas in a monoculture model of high density with the entire agrochemical application package. In 2016 we acquired the land, and the restoration could finally begin. At that time, there was only plantain and banana cultivation. The soil was quite mistreated by the use of agrochemicals (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.). Since we started, the use of pesticides was suspended, and we began to carry out practices to improve the soil. Some of this included planting native and different plant species to diversify the environment, as well as the application of beneficial microorganisms to improve the soil microbiota. That same year we began the transition towards organic management. We also began to sell vegetables and tubers at the Puerto Viejo Artisanal Agricultural Fair. In the year 2019 we were certified as small organic producers through the participatory certification model of the Ministry of Agriculture, as part of the Association of Organic Farmers Producers of Hone Creek (ACAPRO). We currently maintain organic certification.
In our farm, we have planted more than 35 species of tropical fruit trees, over 30 types of native flowers that favor pollinating insects, and more than 30 species of plants for native medicinal use, sourced from the Caribbean pharmacopoeia. Additionally, we have cultivated multiple useful plants. We have observed over 60 species of birds and identified traces of mammals such as armadillos, deer, otters, tepezcuinte, raccoons, rabbits, grisons, tolomucos, coatis, minor rodents, foxes, weasels, and more. We also have grazing chickens, and for the past six years, we have successfully grown more than 40 food varieties, including tubers, legumes, corn, cocoa, bananas, plantains, cucurbits, turmeric, ginger, Jamaica flowers, coconuts, spices, and vegetables such as lettuce, kale, arugula, chives, cabbage, and pakchoy. These endeavors have yielded excellent results. Among our projects for the immediate future, we aim to reforest the river banks with native forest species, continuously improve the ecosystem through healthy agricultural practices, and construct a greenhouse to expand our vegetable cultivation. This way, we can provide healthy and nutritious food to more households in Talamanca.
