My sixth visit to Servio's farm in 15 years. Although it was great to see him and his family, this time was different. In the past the farm was a peaceful and relaxing place to stay in the forest and sleep in a treehouse. This time I learned from direct personal accounts about how the mafia in Ecuador have become increasingly violent over the past year or two, taken control of the government and police, and spread terror and economic ruin through armed robbery, kidnapping and extortion from the cities to the local farming communities. The security crisis has also caused much economic harm to businesses that depend upon tourism.

In addition, there is a heavy sense of dread about the El Niño event that is expected to hit this area in a couple of months. Previous events caused devastating floods, and the forecast is that due to global warming the next one will be much worse. Farmers like Servio did not plant in low-lying areas this year in anticipation of the coming floods, so they lost income. They are concerned about harvesting their crops in upland areas before the floods, in getting a good price at that time when the market may be saturated, and in storing enough food to survive until the floods subside.