The following pages will present in a general fashion the information which we have gathered during the course of interviews and observations made with the women of a community of the Cul - de - Sac Plain who specialize in the marketing of beans . The interviews and observations were carried out more directly and intensely during the past few weeks (May - June 1973).

In response to a request from IICA for this investigation , but information Eleaned in previous interviews and observations has also been incorporated into this presentation . In this paper we will restrict ourselves largely to those matters which directly concern the movement of the produce from the hands of the producer to the hands of the eventual consumer , discussing the alternative routes and channels which the beans traverse , and the varied maneuvers which those con cerned with this passage employ , and leaving out information concerning the repercussions which their marketing activities has on the domestic and so cial life of the women involved.