1. 2.1 Comparing Costa Rica and Nicaragua

2. Costa Rica 60 years of peace (1949 last army)
Stable government and economy
Tourism employs more than 50% of the
working population
Economy has grown significantly in the past 20 years

3. Costa Rica’s Challenges

4. Costa Rica’s Challenges
Poverty rate is %
High taxes
Lack of social services( cut funding to help economy recover)
Trade partners are very few ( 2009 signed a free trade agreement with United States)

6. Nicaragua
Unstable government since its independence from Spain in 1821
Dictatorships
Civil wars through 1990s
1998 major hurricane destroyed infrastructure(bridges, roads, and electrical system)
1000s left homeless, jobless, and had little or no medical care

8. Nicaragua’s Challenges
Poverty almost ½ of the population lived below the poverty line
Weak economy and high unemployment
Lack of social services to help the poor
2005 received funds from U.S. to:
Address rural poverty
Buy farm equipment
Market, advertise and promote rural businesses’
Build roads and repair the infrastructure

9. Haiti’s challenges

10. 2.2 Challenges of Haiti Poverty- 80% of the people live in poverty
Historic Causes:
After independence, slaves had no money or means of income
European nations didn’t want to invest in a country with so much violence

12. Haiti’s challenges 20th Century 21st Century
Political instability- struggle for control of government
Out breaks of diseases, kept tourists away
21st Century
Violence between political groups
Corruption
Security- U.S. sent troops but not sucessful

13. Haiti’s Challenges 2010 earthquake 1.5 million people displaced
200,000 dead
Damaged airports, roads, and bridges- made it difficult to receive help and move aid to the people
Billions of dollars in damage

14. Feeding Central America

15. 2.3 Feeding Central America
Food shortages are caused by natural disasters and human activities
Natural disasters:
Hurricanes- Mitch 1998 – struck the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
Drought – rainy season isn't long enough
2008 flooding
Disasters destroyed main crops: bananas, beans, corn, avocados, mangoes, plantains, oranges and rice
Can also effect drinking water supply

16. Human activities Mismanagement of resources Climate change
Declining soil quality from growing same crop year after year
Lack of irrigation
deforestation
Climate change
Global warming is causing extreme weather patterns
More floods, hurricanes, and droughts

17. Childhood hunger is main effect of food shortages
Starts at birth- pregnant women don’t get nutrients needed, as a result women have very small babies
Poor nutrition throughout childhood, can slow down growth
Guatemala – 23% of children under 5 are under weight & ½ are small for their age because of diet
Many families spend their whole day trying to grow or buy enough food to get to the next day
No time for school
No time to tend to health issues

18. Solutions Increase each countries crop production
Food supply increases- surplus
Food cost will lower because of surplus- trade develops
More jobs with better wages
Improve land quality: fertilizers, crop rotation and irrigation
Improve education: rural farmers won’t destroy land(slash and burn) and people will be able to get better jobs

20. 2.4 Migration and the Caribbean
Push Factors
Pull Factors
Subsistence farming
Collapse of sugar industry
Unemployment
Overpopulation
Drought and floods
Tourism- need many workers
Freedom- Cubans and Haitians
Remittances- better paying jobs allow money to be sent home

22. 2.5 Conserving the Rainforest
New farming methods
Rotating crops
Reusing the land(fertilizers)
Educating rural farmers( stop slash and burn)
Ecotourism
Experience the environment in its natural form
Guided hikes
Bird watching and wildlife tours
Canopy walks and zip lines
Stop deforestation and soil destruction
Provide alternative jobs for poor farmers( tour guides, rangers, and hotel, resort workers)