Improving Andean sheep and alpaca production : recommendations from a decade of research in Peru

This book organizes and synthesizes the CRSP findings. Following an introduction, Chapter 2 outlines critical considerations in working with Andean peasant communities to design livestock interventions that truly meet local needs and fit into smallholders" complex but limited-resource farming systems. Chapter 3 discusses how to collect, organize, and analyze data to assess the economic viability of proposed technological interventions. Range management for agropastoral production systems in highland Peru forms the subject of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 examines the possibilities for increasing the productivity of Andean sheep via better-informed timing of mating and selection of animals for breeding; the research summarized in this chapter makes a particularly important contribution to scientific knowledge about the physiology of male reproduction in Andean sheep. Finally, Chapter 6 focuses on the health problems of Andean sheep and camelids; it includes succinct diagnostic guides for field level use. The chapter also provides new information on some of the less familiar animal health problems in the region. (Author abstract, modified)