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

Marvin was involved with a rural enhancement project sponsored by Auxilio
Mundial (World Relief, an international evangelical aid organization) that funded the
development of family gardens and orchards throughout the poorest regions of
Nicaragua. A portion of Martin’s coffee farm was in need of renovation because the
coffee plants were old and diseased. Eventually, with the support of Auxilio Mundial
técnicos, he decided to abandon coffee production on this portion of his farm and convert
the land to vegetable rows. His method for converting this land was to cut down the
coffee plants and shade trees and set fire to the brush at ground level.
At this point, about 8 months into my fieldwork, I was no longer shocked by this
type of activity. I was beginning to understand how farmers alternate between
“acceptable” and presumably “unacceptable” behaviors to achieve their goals.
Nevertheless, I knew that Marvin had been trained by CLUSA to farm organically. He
had been informed of the harm caused by field burning and subsequent dependence on
petrochemicals.
This example illustrates the conflict small-scale farmers face in converting to
organic production between purely economic motivations, on the one hand, and a more
philosophical embrace of the principles and objectives of organic agriculture, on the
other. At the time of my research, the international coffee market had returned to a
“living price,” 41 and several of the CLUSA-trained farmers that I had met during my
initial visits had reverted to conventional production. However, many farmers continued
41 The International Coffee Organization lists US$1.21/pound of green (unroasted) beans
as a livable price for farmers. Fair Trade standards offer $1.21 as a base price no matter
the international market price. Fair Trade certification also includes $0.05/lb for certified
organic coffee and $0.10/lb as a social premium.
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