The Rivas Case Study

This is a dilemma case that is aimed for environmental sciences and agroecology introductory courses. The main character is ¨Don Pedro Alvarez,¨ a cattle farmer from Nicaragua who is facing problems with maintaining his farm productivity because his land is degrading due to agriculture intensification and pressing forces of intense climatic events. Students are encouraged to identify the main components of this socio-environmental system, their interactions and discuss the value of each component. Students are expected to use concepts previously discussed in class to comprehend Don Pedro’s situation (e.g. seasonality, scaling, and climate change) and they will provide suggestions as professionals for the improvement of production systems.