The root of the medicinal plant Halothamnus somalensis traditionally used to treat endo-parasites of animals and humans was evaluated against endo-parasites in naturally infected goats. The goats were drenched with a crude preparation of the plant at two different doses (0.5 and 2 g/kg live weight [LW]). The dose of 2g/kg LW reduced faecal egg count (EPG) by 50%. Packed cell volume (PCV) was also significantly higher for goats that received 2 g/kg LW. The reduction in faecal EPG and increase in PCV values were negatively correlated. There was no effect on LW change but body condition score was higher for goats that received treatment than goats in the control group. Future research should focus on evaluation of different extracts from different parts of the plant using laboratory animals and small ruminants.

A linear programming model was used to analyze the effects of different herd and fodder management levels on agricultural income of small-scale mountain dairy farmers in northern Peru. Results demonstrate that fodder and herd management strongly impact farm profits. There exists considerable potential to improve this situation, as many farmers in the study region are deficient in their fodder and herd management. When moving from average to high management levels, farmers could double their farm profits. In general, high mortality rates, long calving intervals, and inefficient fodder storage practices depress farmers' incomes most. Because of feeding deficiencies, especially in the dry season, recommended extension activities primarily must emphasize fodder storage and improved pasture management, to subsequently also enhance better herd management practices.

There are distinct breeds suitable for diverse purposes in the different production environments or ecological zones. Farmers in different production systems have different trait preferences and the strategies followed by them are also as diverse as the agro-environments within which they operate. In order to design a viable breeding plan, farmers’ preferences for the different traits need to be investigated. In this paper available tools and methods for defining livestock breeding objective traits are described, discussed and comparisons among them are made. The reviewed tools were: participatory rural appraisal (PRA), choice experiments, ranking of animals from own flock/herd and ranking of others animals. Each methodology may be appropriate to specific situation; however, it is recommended that a combination of approaches be used to precisely capture the breeding objective traits of livestock producers. Elucidation of objective traits using the tools with active involvement of producers can result in appropriate livestock genetic improvement that is well grounded in practical reality and truly reflects owners’ preferences.