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

instructor, actually instructs farmers to play into the stereotype of rural farmers as
ignorant and unintelligent. He teaches them to respond with a simple, one-word answer if
the inspector asks what additives they use on their farms: “mierda (shit).” He urges
farmers not to elaborate and not to let the inspector intimidate them.
Restrepo’s goals include ensuring the rural agriculturalists have a competitive
position in the local, regional, national, and international markets; reducing production
expenses and conserving natural resources, and eliminating negative impacts on the
natural environment and on the well-being of farmworkers (Restrepo 2001:11). He wants
to empower rural growers as stewards of the land and equip them with the skills for
achieving self-reliance. Restrepo has led several workshops with organic farmers in
Nicaragua, and outspoken organic farmers rely on Restrepo’s guidance and instruction in
their own operations.
I had seen and conducted organic inspections in the past, but in this context I was
interested in observing the interaction between the inspector and the farmer. The
inspector reviews the cooperative’s books, sales, and earnings. They review articles of
incorporation and bylaws as well. The inspector also visits the production and processing
facilities of a sample of growers in the co-op. This process occurs annually, and the co-op
is responsible for providing accommodations and meals for the inspector.
The inspector from OCIA, Gregorio Martínez, 89 came to San Juan for five days
near the end of 2004 to inspect the local co-ops. Instead of visiting the separate co-ops at
their offices and then making visits to the farms, he had co-op administrators meet him at
a local restaurant, El Oasis. Griselda, Javier, and Santos had to arrange all of their records
89 A pseudonym.
245