In May every year, the entire population of Costa Rica celebrates Farmer’s Appreciation Day. in this post, I want to tell you a little bit about the background of Farmer’s Appreciation Day e.g. when it got started, and how the population celebrates this day.
When is Farmer’s Day in Costa Rica?
Farmer’s Day is celebrated on the 15th of May each year.
How Did Farmer’s Day in Costa Rica Get Started?
Costa Rica is a country that relies heavily on agriculture. In fact, around 7% of the Costa Rica economy comes from agriculture. Around 15% of the population of the country are working in the industry.
One of the wonderful things about the country is that they are able to produce around 70% of the food that they need. Food imports are minimal and are really limited to what cannot be grown in Costa Rica. The farmers in the country work incredibly hard to keep it this way.
Many of the major infrastructure projects in Costa Rica have been developed using funds generated by the huge agricultural industry in the country. Basically, farming is incredibly important to the population of Costa Rica. it is the thing that keeps the country ticking over. The government is constantly investing in farmers because of this.
In 1968, the government of Costa Rica realized just how important farmers are to the future of the country. As a result, they passed a law on the 11th May of the same year that, going forward, the 15th of May would be dedicated to the farmers of the country. The appreciation day has been celebrated ever since.
How Farmer’s Appreciation Day Celebrated in Costa Rica
Farmer’s Appreciation Day isn’t really a day for partying. Although, we are sure that there are some farmers that like to let loose on their day and have a bit of a break from the year of farming that has just taken place.
Farmer’s Appreciation Day is more about the country collectively thanking the farmers for the work that they put in. You may see a few TV shows that talk about the importance of farming, as well as a few documentaries.
Around the same time, the government of Costa Rica may talk a little bit about how they are going to help farmers going forward. They normally have a few initiatives that they want to talk about. Since all of the attention is going to be focused on the farmers around this time, it is going to be the absolutely perfect time to announce it.
The main ‘event’ on this day will be slightly more bustling farmer’s markets in the country. Of course, because this is an agricultural country, Costa Rica will have regular farmer’s markets running throughout the year anyway. On the 15th of May, it seems that more people head to these farmer’s markets than ever before, no doubt to show an even greater appreciation for the farmers. These markets will often place a huge focus on Costa Rican produce, and you will often find a ton of deals on produce too.
You will also find that a lot of tours are held throughout the country on this day too. Many tour companies will transport foreign tourists from farmer’s market to farmer’s market to help show appreciation to the farmers. Some farms may even open up their doors to tourists on this day. Although, that is going to be somewhat rarer. The main focus is always going to be about getting tourists to the farmer’s markets.
So, while there isn’t really going to be a party atmosphere out there in the streets, when the 15th of May rolls around, anybody in Costa Rica will certainly know that it is farmer’s appreciation day.
Final Thoughts
Farmer’s Appreciation Day in Costa Rica is all about thanking the people that helped contribute to the growth of the country. Without the farmers over the centuries, Costa Rica would have struggled to support itself on food, let alone grow as rapidly as it did. While Farmer’s Appreciation Day is not going to be a day-off for the farmers in the country, you can bet your bottom dollar that the population is going to really let them know just how much they appreciate their work.
