Adaption strategies to the effects of climate change in the Andes: Use of multi-nutrient blocks and chemical treatment of cereal straws

In the Peruvian Andes, cattle within crop-livestock production systems play and important role and yet are low in performance with respect to their daily milk yields (1.5 – 4 kg milk/cow). These low performances are related to low quality and availability of the local feed resources especially during the six-months dry season. Associated to this challenges are the expected extreme weather events and decrease soil productivity that will further limit feed resources availability in the future.

Therefore, working with smallholder farmers and a dairy research Centre of the Universidad La Molina, this research aims at:

• studying the effects of multi-nutrient blocks and chemical treatment of cereal straws as adaptation strategies to the effect of climate change on cattle production in the Peruvian Andes,
• studying the relationships between grasslands characteristics, grazing behavior and animal performance in smallholder farms,
• increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of dairy cattle by changing the supply of energy and crude proteins in the diet.

A highlight of this project is facilitating the exchange of Junior and Senior scientist between the University of Hohenheim and Universidad La Molina