"Interdisciplinary work attempts to elucidate the complex process of pastoral activity in arid Andes. Problems inherent to the system are identified and grassroots alternatives suggested. This rich series of ethnographic studies by anthropologists, ecologists, zoologists, and agronomists isolates herds' vulnerability to severe climactic changes as a key impediment to this form of economic activity, and proposes alternative schemes for feeding animals and maintaining their health and reproductive activity. All contributors give attention to the sociocultural system within which these herders operate"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.