Edith Fernández-Baca
Until recently it has been assumed that all the small-scale mixed farming systems in the Mantaro
Valley of Peru were managed by men, while the women were in charge of reproductive activities. For this
reason, most livestock development projects, as well as extension and training programmes, were directed
exclusively towards men. Now, however, the traditional distribution of agricultural tasks according to
gender has been acknowledged.
Some fifteen years ago, when the Institute for High Altitude and Tropical Veterinary Research (IVITA) began to study Criollo sheep production in small-scale mixed farming systems in the Mantaro Valley, it was assumed that men were in charge of all on-farm decisions. Not only IVITA, but also most livestock extension, training and development programmes, viewed men as their main target group.
As a result of systematic work with small-farm families over the last decade or so, the staff of the joint project carried out by IVITA and Grupo Yanapai have acknowledged the specialized roles of men and women in the management of the local agricultural production systems. Of the wide range of on-farm activities in which women participate, animal production is often the most important. Although there is little detailed information available on the role of women in livestock production, we do know that they possess a great deal of the existing local knowledge in such areas as animal health, nutrition, reproduction, and selection.
Woman make management decisions related to the selection of animals for sale, fodder acquisition, and the treatment of diseases. Women also organize and control rotational grazing strategies in such a way that they are able to take advantage of natural rangelands without overgrazing them. Part of that strategy consists in feeding their animals crop residues, or grazing them on fallow plots during the dry season. Once the rainy season begins, weed growth is used for grazing, so that natural pasture areas have time to recover.
Women also have a thorough knowledge of breeding and selection. They work mainly with Criollo breeds of animals, and practice natural breeding, since there are no facilities for artificial insemination. In the case of cattle, they often cross Criollo animals with Brown Swiss and sometimes Friesian-Holsteins. Rams and ewes are kept together all year round so lambing can occur any time of the year. Sheep are selected according to such criteria as colour, weight, propensity to physical defects, resistance to disease, and adaptability to altitude and local feeding conditions.
Women also have the most complete local knowledge of animal health, and are able to identify common diseases on the basis of external symptoms. Once a disease has been identified, it is they who make the decision as to what type of medicine should be used. Medicines are either commercial or ethnoveterinary (medicinal plants). The decision on which of the two to choose is usually based on a combination of availability, effectiveness and cost.
Conclusion
Although research has not yet provided a full understanding of women's local knowledge of livestock
production and management, it is now more widely recognized that within small-scale mixed farming
systems it is the women who are in charge in this area. Our aim now is to deepen our insights into this local
knowledge of animal production and the women who possess it. This will help us to work with them in
developing research and training programmes which meet their needs.
Edith Fernández-Baca
Institute for High Altitude and Tropical Veterinary Research (IVITA)
C/O Convenio IVITA\Yanapai
Casilla 264
Huancayo
Peru