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.