iMedia students travel to Costa Rica to assist sustainable, organic farm

Eight team members worked with Finca La Esperanza to help build a web and social media presence.

Eight students from the Interactive Media graduate program traveled to Costa Rica in January to help a local organic, sustainable farm spread awareness about the importance of going “green” in ways that can help change the world.  

Prior to leaving, the students discussed the creation of a strategic web presence and a unified brand for Finca La Esperanza. 

The students immersed themselves in the opportunity and jumped into life on the farm immediately. They worked closely with the owner and patriarch of the farm, Anselmo Rodriguez Umaña, shadowing his daily routine and pitching in on farm activities like milking goats, bringing in the cows, and sifting fertilizer.  They interacted with various animals like cows, goats, chickens, and pigs as well as learned about the products manufactured on the farm.   

Equipped with a translator, the students took on the challenge of communicating with the clients to find out their most desired wants and needs for the farm.  Each day the students were faced the task of figuring of what media they could produce that would embody the essence of the farm while providing an outlet for information and knowledge.  What once began as a class project shortly turned into a personal endeavor to help this family spread their mission and get the visitors they deserve.

Leaving Finca La Esperanza, students said they knew they needed to spread the farm’s mission and process for sustainable agriculture with global outreach. 

The site they created, fincalaesperanza.org, launched Jan. 28, and with an emphasis on visuals through videos and photos, it details the progressive farming techniques the family is bringing to Costa Rica.  Team members also established a business Facebook page and Flickr account for the farm. 

For more information:

http://fincalaesperanza.org

https://www.facebook.com/FincaLaEsperanzaDesarrolloOrganico

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imediasanjose/

Contact Information:

imediainsanjose@gmail.com