Thanks to the introduction of modern dairy cattle production, 450 impoverished smallholder families in the Bolivian highlands have been able to improve their standard of living substantially. Seven years ago, Welthungerhilfe introduced the first dairy cows to the high-altitude Peñas Valley, near the mining town of Oruro. The widely scattered community has continued to develop ever since. In numerous seminars, disadvantaged Quechua families are learning the principles of livestock production, land management, processing and farm management. They have formed a producers' cooperative in order to market their products more effectively. 
 
Constanze Bandowski
Freelance journalist
Hamburg, Germany
cobando@web.de