Manfred grew up in Alajuela, Costa Rica, but preferred to spend time on his grandparents’ farm in San Carlos, Costa Rica.
Manfred has always dreamed of owning a farm where students without the financial means to attend a technical school or university could learn about agriculture. He has noticed that young people are leaving rural areas in favor of taking jobs in cities and realized that “we need to care of the earth, because every plant, every insect, serves a purpose. Our lives will come to an end one day, but the earth will still be here, and we need people to change, we need others to keep working to take care of the earth.” Through the years, Manfred has met Costa Ricans from Turrialba and Monteverde who have left their homes due to a lack of job opportunities. Manfred wants to “learn everything I can in order to go to places like Turrialba or Monteverde and tell the people not to leave. I want to show them that agriculture is a gold mine, show them what I’ve learned so they can have work and give other people jobs too.”
