Liliana R. Goldín                             Linda Asturias de Barrios
                                                    Department of Anthropology          ESTUDIO 1360/ IPM CRSP
                                                    SUNY, Albany                                 Guatemala

In the last twenty years, farmers of the central highlands of Guatemala have been engaging in the production and commercialization of non-traditional agricultural exports (NTAE). In this study, we compare how farmers engaged in NTAE and those not engaged in NTAE perceive the economic changes that have been affecting their communities. Attitudes towards the economy, including perceptions of internal differentiation, the role of intermediaries in agricultural commercialization, perceptions of agricultural work in contrast to increasingly available industrial jobs, and attitudes towards community solidarity are analyzed from qualitative and quantitative sources. In addition, characteristics of successful NTAE farmers are contrasted to those who are less successful.  Religion, age, wealth, land tenure, ethnicity and cooperative membership are related to various economic attitudes and to relative economic well being. These attitudes ultimately may affect future economic choices.

Keywords: non-traditional agricultural exports (NTAE), economic ideology, economic attitudes, farmers, differentiation, agricultural strategies, Guatemala.