i Patrick W. Staib Anthropology This dissertation is approved, and it ...

Although the ideological justification for alternative development organizations
and international aid agencies is clear to me and many involved in rural development and
poverty alleviation, it is not yet known how the farmers, ostensibly the recipients and
beneficiaries of said programs, interpret and internalize the current production and
organizational trends. This is more than a theoretical issue, it is a practical one as well,
since without genuine forms of investment in these changes by the farmers themselves,
the success of alternative development is unlikely.
Farmers who abide by the tenets of organic production can improve their
productivity and reduce dependencies on petroleum-based inputs. However, there are
several factors that determine success in coffee farming. Access to manageable credit, a
stable and reliable labor force, and a dedication to constant maintenance and renovation
of the coffee plantation are all crucial to cultivating a successful crop, but they are not
granted by simply converting to organic agriculture. In actuality it takes a significant
amount of surplus capital and knowledge to successfully convert to organic farming.
Two emphases characterize the anthropology of agriculture. One branch of the
literature emphasizes the symbolic, political, and economic role of agriculture in unifying
small-scale community life. The other branch considers agriculture as a form of tribute-
based production that under capitalism has become increasingly more exploitative and
extractive. Studies of small-scale agricultural societies have richly detailed that the
economic and symbolic significance of agricultural practices cannot by themselves
explain farmers’ lives. Studies specific to Nicaragua have questioned whether alternative
development programs will aid the Nicaraguan countryside. But neither approach to the
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