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Why do peasants continue to survive despite the claims by social scientists of their imminent demise in the face of capitalism's advance? How important is the generational accumulation of knowledge in rural societies? How does such local knowledge become a part of survival strategies in peasant societies? To develop the theoretical framework used to approach a peasant community in Costa Rica (Central America), it was necessary to examine concepts that have been losing traction within academia but that nonetheless continue to have relevance for the everyday lives of Puriscaleño peasant households. The main conceptual tools that guided this studied were identified through a critical revision of different approaches to the study of peasant societies. Peasants and their production systems will remain significant in a future globalized world as providers of foodstuffs and other products, for their rich social and cultural traditions, and the way they manage natural resources. For these reasons, it is important to study peasant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]