Soil and temperature differ with each altitude. Farmers are known to exploit these differences in a clever way. Daniel Hilario, a farmer from the village of Chongos Alto in the Central Andes region, owns one hectare divided over 30 different plots. His fields are situated in different heights, varying from 2000 to 3800 masl. He knows the different soils of each field.
Some fields require early planting, while others are planted only late spring.
This suits him well. He would never be able to do all the heavy work in a short period. The sowing as well as the harvesting season are prolonged by the this variety in fields. His fields are also situated in different valleys, so that the risk of failure is limited and his family has always something to eat. Experience has taught Daniel that hail or frost never strike in all valleys at the same time.