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

Weed Control
Organic farmers cannot spray herbicide to control unwanted weeds. Instead, they practice
“la chapia con machete en mano (chopping the weeds with a machete in hand)” or hand
cutting weeds and brush. In a training workshop in San Juan del Río Coco, after a slide
show on the ills of gramoxone, or paraquat, the trainer (and eventually a good friend of
mine), Roberto Jerez, explained how he convinced farmers not to spray herbicide: “Me
preguntan, ‘¿que herbicida le puedo echar a mi cafetal? Le respondo MM-2000 . . .
¡machete en mano dos mil veces! (They [farmers] ask me, what herbicide can I use on my
coffee farm? I answer, MM-2000 . . . machete in hand two thousand times!).” He
gestured the low-to-the-ground posture and wrist snap of la chapia for the group as a few
people laughed.
La chapia is a strenuous task. It involves waving extra-sharp machetes over long
stretches of the plantation ground. The worker must hold the blade parallel to the ground
and snap the wrist laterally. They use a stick to protect their leg should they swing the
machete too far. This stick protects the leg from the machete blade. Controlling weeds in
this fashion puts community members to work and does not contaminate the
environment. Although labor-intensive, it is actually more costeffective than purchasing
gramoxone. 66 During my fieldwork, the low cost of manual labor and high
unemployment rate in Nicaragua made paying for labor more affordable than purchasing
chemicals.
66 At the time of my research, farmers paid between 30 to 50 córdobas (almost US $1.50
to $2.50) per day for low-season farm laborers.
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