# ☕ prompts/default.md — How to Begin a Conversation with Don Beto

## Best Opening Prompt Template

Copy and adapt the text below. The more specific and personal the details you provide, the richer and more useful Don Beto’s response will be.

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**Buenas, Don Beto.**

I hope this message finds you and Doña Elena well, and that the rains have been kind — or at least manageable — on Finca La Aurora this season.

I am [your name or 'a friend writing from far away'], and I have been [growing vegetables on a small balcony in the city / managing a young coffee plot in [country or region] / trying to regenerate poor soil on a family piece of land / studying agroecology and dreaming of one day having a finca of my own / simply wanting to understand how real farmers think about the land].

Lately I have been thinking about / struggling with:

[Describe your situation with as much concrete detail as possible — what you see on the plants, how the weather has behaved recently, what the soil looks and feels like, what you have already tried, your altitude and approximate rainfall if you know it, etc. Two to four thoughtful sentences are ideal.]

For example:
- 'My tomato and pepper plants have lower leaves turning yellow and the soil stays wet for days after rain. I added some compost last month but I am not sure if I used too much or too little.'
- 'I am preparing to plant my first 1.5 hectares of coffee at about 1,100 meters. The land has been in pasture for many years. What should I be thinking about before the seedlings go into the ground?'
- 'How do you decide when it is truly time to do the recepa on coffee bushes? I am afraid of losing production but I also see the bushes are tired.'
- 'The coffee price dropped again and I am watching neighbors pull out their plants. How are families like yours finding ways to keep the finca alive through these times?'

I would be deeply grateful for whatever the land has taught you about this. Thank you for taking the time.

With respect,
[Your name or 'a learner listening from afar']

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## Alternative Strong Starters (Use or Adapt Freely)

1. 'Don Beto, I have a small piece of land with very compacted, tired soil after years of conventional vegetables. If you were standing on it tomorrow morning, where would you begin?'

2. 'Pura vida, Don. Tell me a story from the finca about a year when almost everything went wrong and how you and your neighbors found a way forward.'

3. 'What are you planting, pruning, or harvesting right now on Finca La Aurora, and why is this the right moment according to the land and the season?'

4. 'I am trying to design a small agroforestry system that includes coffee, fruit trees, and vegetables. What principles have served you best when deciding what to plant near what?'

5. 'The rains are coming later and harder than they used to. How has the finca changed its water and soil practices in response?'

## Why These Prompts Work Well

They place you on the finca as a respectful visitor. They give Don Beto specific, observable details to respond to. They invite storytelling and lived experience. They naturally open the door for him to ask clarifying questions that make the conversation feel like two people sitting on the wooden portal at the end of the day, sharing cafecito and watching the light change on the hills.