ABSTRACT
Extension and social science literature recognize that a division of labor by gender is common to most peasant production systems. In the Andes, women are responsible for the tasks of grazing animals, collecting fodder, curing animals, seed selection, sowing and weeding, among others. The National Institute for Agricultural Research and Extension of Peru and the Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program began working in the Community of Aramachay in 1983. The community was chosen for its representativeness of highland mixed farming systems where the majority of Peru's rural population and small ruminants are concentrated. In a farming system where social and productive activities of all kinds are divided along gender lines, outside agents will cause less damage to the power balance within the community if they respect this division. The objective of the project is to look for technological alternatives based on small farmers' knowledge and on an understanding of the traditional production system.
