Figure 3: Republic of Paraguay: Political Subdivision, Departamentos (GTZ 1994)

Landforms.Within the two main physiographic zones, the Chaco Paraguayo and the oriental region, there are further subdivisions to be featured (Figure 4):

A) The Chaco Paraguayo which comprises about 60 percent of the country, is an alluvial plain with sediments from the Andes, naturally limited to the east by the Rio Paraguay and to the south and south-west by the Rio Pilcomayo. Altitudes range between 380 m in the north-west and 80 m in the south-east, where the Paraguay and Pilcomayo Rivers join, a distance of 750 km (Ramella and Spichiger 1989). Mereles et al. (1992) distinguish two major zones of the Chaco:

• the Humid Chaco (Bajo Chaco), a plain liable to flooding, influenced by the Paraguay and Pilcomayo Rivers (annual rainfall 900 to 1300 mm);
• the Dry Chaco (Chaco Boreal) with an annual rainfall range of 400 to 900 mm, which is further subdivided into 3 major sub regions (Glatzle 1999):
• The Central Chaco is derived from a former inland delta with a mosaic of so called "campos" (old riverbeds with coarse sandy sediments) which contrast with the "monte" areas with fine textured soils (formerly temporarily inundated by flooding of the ancient river system). Campos areas comprise 15 percent of this region.
• Most of the Northern Chaco is more uniform and is comparable with the "monte" system of the Central Chaco.
• Sand dune areas in the far north-west of the Paraguayan Chaco are alluvial deposits remodelled by winds.

B) Eastern Paraguay (Oriental Region) comprises 40 percent of the country. Altitudes range from above 600 m in the north-eastern corner (Pedro Juan Caballero) and 55 m in the south-west (Pilar). The Oriental sector of Paraguay is a rather humid region of rolling hills with three major subdivisions (Bertoni and Gorham 1973):

• The Rio Paraguay Valley is an undulating lowland with plains, parts of which are liable to flooding and with a few hills or strings of hills. Almost half of Paraguay’s population live here, where the capital Asunción is located.
• The Central Plateau with many low hills forms the "continental divide" between the watersheds of the Rio Paraguay and the Rio Alto Paraná.
• The Alto Paraná Valley is an undulating plain, rising to the west. As annual rainfall is high, this zone has many large and small watercourses, all draining to the Rio Alto Paraná, which runs through a deep gorge and is dammed as the Itaipu reservoir which powers the world’s biggest electrical power plant.

Figure 4: Paraguay: Physiographic Zones (adapted from Bertoni and Gorham 1973)

Soils. The Paraguayan Chaco is dominated by geologically relatively young eutric cambisols and orthic luvisols with loamy textures (BGR 2001). Sub-dominant are eutric regosols and poorly developed arenosols (in the sand dune area). Poorly drained eutric gleysols and planosols are found in inclusions of the Central Chaco (so called "water-camps" with temporary water logging) and in the inundated areas of the Humid Chaco. As the distance from the Andes increases, soils tend to become finer in texture. The dominating soils in the Chaco have no major limitations in soil fertility, there are however big differences in water availability (drought and excess of water) over long periods (Fatecha 1989). Soil pH ranges from mildly acid to mildly alkaline.

The horizons are deep with relatively high salinity. From north-east to south-west, right across the Paraguayan Chaco, there is a belt of about 500 km long and 50 to 75 km wide with a shallow saline ground water table. This transitional zone between the Dry and Humid Chaco is prone to dry land salinity due to capillary ascension and salt enrichment at the soil surface, producing orthic solonetz and solonchaks in the "discharge area" of saline ground water. In eastern Paraguay, ferric acrisols with sandy to loamy texture are the main groups of soils in the rolling hills (Central Plateau). In contrast to the Chaco with greyish soils, for the Oriental Region a reddish soil colour is typical, due to sesquioxide formation in a rather humid environment. As most bedrocks are acidic (granite, sandstone, schists, gneiss), soils also are almost consistently acid. The depth of the soil profile and also the pedogenetic stage depends largely on its position in the relief of the landscape. Seasonally swampy, lower-lying areas in the Rio Paraguay Valley, particularly in the south-western corner (vicinity of Pilar) produce soils with hydromorphic properties (planosols). Intensively cropped basalt-derived ferric luvisols are the dominant group in the Alto Paraná Valley. Generally, the soils in the Oriental sector of Paraguay are considered to have high to medium potential for rainfed crop production (two crops a year), so long as there are no limitations of topography (steep slopes) or waterlogging in temporarily flooded areas. Contrary to the Chaco, the region has been settled and farmed for several centuries and little of the original vegetation remains undisturbed.

Mean annual temperatures vary from 25.9 ⁰C in the north (Bahía Negra) to 21.4 ⁰C in the north-eastern corner of the oriental region (Pedro Juan Caballero). Summers are hot, even very hot. Therefore, potential evapotranspiration reaches values up to 2100 mm (Verma 1982). Absolute maxima range from 40.8 ⁰C (Encarnación) to 44.0 ⁰C (Mariscal Estigarribia). In winter, night frosts (to an absolute minimum temperature of - 6.0 ⁰C) occur, except in the extreme north east. Aerial parts of tropical grasses are generally burnt off by frost. This can produce a forage shortage, when standing hay is spoiled by rain after frost (Glatzle 1999). Temperature changes may be sudden (15 to 20 degrees in a few hours with the onset of a storm), as prevailing winds switch from northerly to southerly, since there are no significant east west mountain barriers to retain winds. Wind speed exceeds 6 m/s for 14 percent of the year, resulting in wind erosion of cleared, bare land (Hacker et al. 1996). In short, Paraguay has a subtropical continental climate dominated by summer rainfall. It falls within the C climates of Köppen’s classification (Eidt 1969).

Figure 5: Paraguay (Chaco): Rainfall and Temperature

Vegetation. The dominant vegetation formations are xeromorphic, thorny, dry deciduous forests in the Chaco and subtropical rainforests in the East.

Dominant trees in the Dry Chaco are Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco, Chorisia insignis and Schinopsis quebracho-colorado. Among the shrubs, various Prosopis spp., Acacia spp., Capparis spp., Ruprechtia triflora and Cercidium praecox are dominant on the "monte" type soils. In contrast, the sandy "campos", along the ancient riverbeds, are characterised by a savanna-like open woodland with the dominant trees being Astronium fraxinifolium, Schinopsis heterophylla, Tabebuia caraiba and Jacaranda mimosifolia. The herbaceous layer is predominantly grass species Elyonurus muticus. In the past, fires, frequently lit by indigenous people, helped to keep the vegetation open (Hacker et al. 1996). Sand dunes in the north-western Chaco are stabilized by natural vegetation. Their pronounced topography differs markedly from the flat, sandy "campos" in the Central Chaco, but their savanna-like vegetation is very similar. To the south and east, depressions with seasonal waterlogging ("water-camps") become more frequent. Here, the trees Prosopis ruscifolia, Calycophyllum multiflorum and Bulnesia sarmienti indicate cracking clay soils. The centre of the seasonal ponds, however, have no woody vegetation. An edaphic grassland with species tolerant of waterlogging like Hemarthria altissima, Leersia hexandra and Paspalum spp. covers the ground. In the humid Chaco, the vegetation is characterised by a mosaic with the irregular distribution of wetlands. The lower areas are seasonally waterlogged savannas with a palm (Copernicia alba) and grasses like those in the "water-camps" of the Central Chaco, whereas drier areas typically support a tall Anadenanthera colubrina forest (Ramella and Spichiger 1989). In the Oriental Region, the littoral of the Rio Paraguay Valley resembles the "Entre Rios Formations" of Argentina with open swampy grasslands and marshes. This region is suitable for cattle raising. The predominantly sandy soils of the Central Plateau and its outskirts once supported a dense forest, rich in quality and variety of hardwood species (e.g. Amburana cearensis, Aspidosperma polyneuron, Pterogyne nitens, Peltophorum dubium) which were progressively cleared. Besides timber species there are yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and the tung-oil trees (Aleurites fordii) as well as the "coco"-palm (Acrocomia totai) grown in pure plantations or mixed cropping systems. The valleys are dominated by grasslands which are, however, nowadays successively converted into arable lands with zero-tillage technology. The undulating plain of the Alto Paraná Valley was also once covered by species-rich subtropical forest, much of which has been converted in recent years to intensively cropped arable lands (particularly for soy bean and temperate cereals).

Land and Livestock Tenure. With respect to land and livestock tenure systems, land ownership is unbalanced. Farms between 1 and 20 hectares own less than 15 percent of the livestock and represent more than 70 percent of all producers / producer families. On the other hand, the producer class with more than 1000 hectares (1 percent of the farms) owns 77 percent of the farm land and 60 percent of the livestock population (Table 1).

About 25 percent of Paraguay’s producers are involved exclusively in crop production. Of the rest, 89 percent run mixed farms (Molas et al. 1996), combining, meat or milk production and crops, to diversify activities and minimize risk. The remaining 11 percent are exclusively livestock producers. Smallholders are usually subsistence oriented and labour intensive with limited use of technology and external inputs. However, farms at all production levels are commercially orientated, obviously with increasing market orientation, as the farm size gets bigger. Farms over 1,000 hectares contribute more than three quarters of the agricultural exports of the country (GTZ 1994).

Table 1: Land tenure system in Paraguay as analysed by most recent agricultural census (MAG 1992)

The most striking difference between farming systems in eastern Paraguay and the Chaco is average farm size and average stock number per farm (Table 2). Whereas in the sparsely populated Chaco (1 inhabitant per 2 sq. km) large farms (up to 50,000 ha) predominantly produce beef, in the more densely populated Oriental Region (32 inhabitants per sq. km) farm size is much smaller and farms are much more oriented to mixed farming. Beef and milk production is highly commercialised, whereas small ruminants and pigs are predominantly kept for subsistence or have only local commercial importance (no exports). Horses are almost exclusively working animals, particularly for cattle herd handling.

Table 2: Distinctive characteristics of farms in the Oriental Region and the Chaco (MAG 1992 and DCEA 2000)

There is practically no permanent housing of ruminants. Steer fattening in feedlots has shown marginal profitability. Animals are ranched on natural or improved pastures. Even in intensive dairy systems milking cows gain part of their feeding requirements on pastures near milking pens. Tethering is common among smallholders and landless campesinos, otherwise they keep their animals on public land between the fences at both sides of public roads. Stocking densities on range, bush land and sown pastures vary from about 10 (Alto Paraguay) to 0,2 ha (Central Department) per head of cattle, depending on the agro-ecological conditions and feed and supplement availability.

Paraguay has a multicultural rural population with strong minorities (native Indians of at least eight different ethnicities and languages, groups of settlers of Brazilian, German or Japanese origin and foreign investors) which differ considerably in their production systems, production levels and organizational structures. While the native Indians live predominantly by subsistence agriculture on communally owned land, most of them showing little affinity for animal husbandry, typical Paraguayan campesinos and foreign groups of settlers generally apply mixed farming systems on privately owned land, being predominantly market oriented. Foreign investors, representing a fairly high proportion in the Chaco (Table 2), are exclusively commercially oriented and frequently grow monocultures, such as beef, soy bean or cotton.

The organizational structure of Paraguayan campesinos and foreign investors is relatively weak. However almost all emigrant settlers communities are organised into marketing co-operatives. Among them are so called "colonies" of Japanese and Mennonites (a religious community of German origin which settled in the Chaco and in eastern Paraguay mainly in the first half of the past century). These colonies exert a strong impact on national markets in special sectors such as dairy products, vegetables and yerba mate.

Herd Productivity and Breeds. Beef is commonly produced in extensive systems on the 165,000 square km of native pastures and grazed bush land plus 33,000 square km of cultivated pastures. Main capital investments refer to fencing, establishment of herd handling facilities, construction of dams or so called "Tajamares" (basins for rain water collection) and pasture establishment and maintenance. Traditionally, there was little veterinary care and infrequent herd mustering, no seasonal bull service, no weaning control and little genetic improvement. Therefore, traditional herd productivity is low compared to production figures which are regularly achieved nowadays by a growing number of cattle farmers (Table 3).

Table 3: Comparison of traditional and present production parameters of beef cattle herds and grazing lands in the Chaco (Glatzle, 1999)

The energy efficiency of forage was modelled on the basis of the production parameters of both traditional and modern systems. The improved herd productivity results in almost twice as much liveweight being produced from a unit of fodder energy consumed. Moreover, up to a tenfold rise in liveweight production per area (across the whole herd) is achieved by improving the forage base. Hence, improved pasture establishment results in a better land use efficiency (Table 3) as long as the production system is ecologically compatible. More efficient beef production technologies are increasingly adopted by cattle farmers, as indicated by an increase by 66 percent of the nation-wide extraction rate in the past 20 years (Table 5).

As far as the milk sector is concerned, 40 percent of the farms own milking cows (in the average 3.6 per farm). Only part of them (estimated at 25 percent) have access to milk collection and processing systems. The remaining 75 percent are either subsistence oriented or depend on local markets for fresh milk or home made cheese. There is a big variation of production levels, taking into account all (not only the commercial) milk producers. Whereas the nation-wide average production parameters are poor, specialised commercial milk producers achieve remarkably high production levels (Table 4) applying high technology, and covering up to 75 percent of the daily feed requirements with concentrates and silages, in order to raise milk yields and to achieve a more balanced production across the seasons.

Table 4: Milk production parameters in Paraguay comparing the national average with data from a commercial farm and a Mennonite co-operative (Molas et al. 1996)

The Criollio breed, derived from Spanish and later British cattle importations, is a well adapted, small framed and robust, double purpose breed, highly fertile but otherwise low in production. This traditional breed forms about 70 percent of the Paraguayan cattle population (MAG 1992). However, an increasing proportion of commercial beef cattle farms are replacing Criollo by Zebu types, such as Nellore and Brahman. Frequently a high level of Zebu-genes is maintained in the herds, served by bulls of British (Angus, Hereford) or European continental (Gelbvieh, Fleckvieh, Limousine) breeds in order to produce a fast growing, environmentally adapted and resistant industrial cross. In commercial dairying, almost exclusively Holstein Friesian genes are incorporated by substitution crossing. In addition some hardy dual purpose breeds, such as Santa Gertrudis or Brown Swiss are kept. Artificial insemination is practised within well organized co-operatives or on very big farms.

Production, Marketing and Consumption of Animal Products. Since the early nineteen-eighties the cattle population grew by about 50 percent from approx. 6,500,000 to almost 10,000,000 (MAG 1992 and DCEA 2000). In the same period, beef and milk production more than doubled, and indicators of production levels, such as average extraction rate of slaughter animals and milk yields per milking cow, increased by about 65 percent and 25 percent respectively (Table 5). These higher production levels can be attributed to better herd handling, improved veterinary care and the use of adapted and productive breeds, but also to the expansion of the area sown to improved pastures. Moreover the amount of agro-industrial by-products available increased considerably in the past two decades, particularly in medium to large scale dairy farms.

In 1999, total agricultural imports reached a value of US$ 609,000,000 and exports a value of US$ 602,000,000 (FAO 2001). Net beef exports accounted for 4 to 9 percent of the total beef production in the past years (Table 5). Beef exports vary from year to year and depend very much on the outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease and a positive immunological status of the animals due to compulsory vaccinations; meat exports beyond South America are insignificant. Beef imports are negligible, like imports and exports of other meats. Almost all wool and hides are processed locally or discarded.

There is only commercial milk production where an efficient and reliable collection system and a processing plant have been built up. This is the case in the Central Department (around the capital Asunción) with about 1,000,000 inhabitants, in the Boquerón and Presidente Hayes Departments (Chaco) and the Departments Caaguazú and Alto Paraná (Oriental Region). Insignificant amounts of dairy products are exported since national production does not cover consumption. Imported milk equivalents (predominantly from Argentina) account in recent years for 7 to 13 percent of the national production of commercialised milk (Table 5).

More than half of the meat consumed is beef. As stated in Table 5, total meat consumption is high in Paraguay. On the other hand the supply of processed milk is unsatisfactory (less than 2/3 of the 150 kg/head/yr. recommended by the FAO).

Table 5: Paraguay statistics of production, exports and consumption of animal products and important agro-industrial by-products used as animal feeds (FAO 2001)

Table 6: Areas (millions of hectares) of native and cultivated pastures and extensively grazed bush land in Paraguay (Molas et al. 1996)

Native Grazing Resources in Eastern Paraguay. Most of the grazing lands in the Oriental Region are marginal for agriculture due to natural constraints such as poor drainage, shallow soils, and rocky soil . Basically there are two types of native pastures in Eastern Paraguay.

• Lowland grazing (Praderas Bajas): grazing lands on hydromorphic, periodically waterlogged and even swampy soils, mostly on the banks of rivers (particularly Rio Paraguay). However, there are also extended stretches of plains with hydromorphic planosols with an impermeable clayey subsoil towards the central Oriental Region along riverain zones. Within these grazing lands, the dominant herbaceous species are large tussock grasses generally with low palatability and nutritive value Sorghastrum agrostoides, Panicum prionitis, Andropogon lateralis, and A. condensatus, and grasses of low growth habit, such as Andropogon selloanus, Leersia hexandra, Luziola peruviana, Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Panicum millioides, Paspalum almum, Hemarthria altissima, Rottboellia selloana, Paspalum notatum, Axonopus compressus, A. affinis, and Paspalum plicatulum, all considered as highly palatable and nutritive. Moreover, herbaceous legumes such as Desmodium canum, Aeschynomene americana, Macroptilium lathyroides and Arachis spp. are valuable components commonly found in the lowlands of the Oriental Region.
• Hillside grazing (Praderas Altas): These are grazing lands in the rolling hills of eastern Paraguay, predominantly at sites, sub-optimal for cropping in the Central Plateau and the Alto Paraná Valley. Though generally not cultivated, "native" hillside grazing lands developed under human influence in forest clearings. Most of them maintain the aspect of a savanna or open woodland with varying densities of trees (even the planted "coco"-palm Acrocomia totai). In the Central Plateau, grazing lands are often restricted to sandy soils with rocky outcrops (granite, sandstone, schist) and of limited fertility (high acidity, high aluminium and low phosphorous contents). In the Alto Paraná Valley, fertility characteristics of the basaltic soils are better, however, grazing lands frequently present slopes marginal for agriculture. The most important indigenous forage grasses of hillside grazing lands are Paspalum notatum, Axonopus affinis, A. compressus, Paspalum plicatulum and Andropogon lateralis. Common valuable native legumes are Chamaecrista rotundifolia, Stylosanthes guianensis, Arachis spp., and Alysicarpus sp.. Among the grasses of low stock acceptability are Imperata brasilensis and Aristida spp.. Weedy dicotyledoneous species commonly found are Vernonia chamaedrys, Baccharis sp., Psidium araca, Butia yatay and Campomanesia obversa.

Native Grazing Resources of the Chaco Region. The Occidental (Chaco) Region is an extended alluvial plain with a gradient of rainfall and soil texture from north-west to south-east (more rain and finer texture as the distance from the Andes Mountains increases). The agro-ecological conditions are good for permanent pastures. However cropping faces some limitations and risks from the quantity and distribution of rainfall (Dry Chaco) and temporary waterlogging (Humid Chaco) respectively (Figure 4). The native grazing resources in the two major physiographic sub regions of the Chaco can be described as follows:

• The Humid Chaco (Bajo Chaco): The grazing lands of the Humid Chaco are predominantly palm savannas with Copernicia alba on poorly drained, hydromorphic gleysols and planosols. The palm Copernicia tolerates fires and temporary waterlogging. It is found in densities of up to 100 trunks per hectare and its spread is promoted by livestock (Degen 1996). These natural grazing lands contain many grasses of medium to high nutritive value and palatability, such as Leersia hexandra, Hemarthria altissima, Panicum elephantipes, Diplachne uninervia, Hymenachne amplexicaulis, Paspalum lividum, P. alcalinum, P. almum, Cynodon dactylon, Pennisetum nervosum and Eriochloa montevidensis. Frequently found herbaceous legumes are Desmodium canum, Aeschynomene americana, A. denticulata, Desmanthus virgatus, Dolichopsis paraguariensis and Macroptilium lathyroides. Tussock grasses with rather low palatability are Sorghastrum agrostoides, Paspalum paniculatum, P. plicatulum and P. conspersum. Reported carrying capacities are one American Livestock Unit (454 kg LW) per 2 to 4 ha (Ramírez and Laneri 1989). Besides mechanical or chemical treatments or burning of the shrubby weeds (Acacia curvifructa, Prosopis ruscifolia and Geoffroea decorticans, and Tessaria dodoneaefolia), there are practically no interventions for the maintenance of good grazing economically feasible or necessary (Glatzle 1999).
  Periodically and episodically flooded areas with waters from the Pilcomayo river in regions with rather low rainfall (below 750 mm) are to be considered as a transitional zone between the Humid and the Dry Chaco. This zone along the left side riverbanks of the upper Picomayo-river is exposed to an extremely varying water regime, which may cause seasonally flooded grasslands to be reconverted into xeromorphic bush and vice versa within a few consecutive years.
• The Dry Chaco: Traditionally the most important natural grazing resource in the Dry Chaco are the "espartillo" grasslands ("campos") on the regosols or arenososls in old riverbeds of the former inland delta which shaped the landscape of the Central Chaco. These grasslands are characterised by abundance of the grass Elyonurus muticus (espartillo), not particularly palatable. Other grasses are Aristida circinalis, Paspalum chaseanum, Heteropogon contortus and Sporobolus pyramidalis. The espartillo-grasslands present a wealth of native legumes as soon as fire frequency is reduced and disturbance by grazing increased. Among the more important legumes are Aeschynomene histrix, Stylosanthes leiocarpa, Galactia sp., Macroptilium bracteatum, Mimosa chacoensis, M. nuda, Rhynchosia balansae, Chamaecrista rotundifolia and Zornia crinita (Hacker et al. 1996). Typical pasture weeds coming up in overgrazed espartillos are Sida spp., Croton cujabensis, Aloysia virgata and Acacia aroma. In former decades, a relatively high proportion of the campos was used for cropping by early European settlers and indigenous horticulturalists. Although the fertility status (organic matter, P, K) of virgin regosols is relatively high, continuous cropping with frequent tillage and without fertilization drastically reduced soil fertility. Nowadays, rundown regosols are restored establishing a permanent pasture (e.g. with Pangola grass) and introducing a suitable legume (e.g. Stylosanthes hippocampoides or Alysicarpus vaginalis).

Another important traditional natural forage resource in the Dry Chaco is the native bush land ("montes"). Browsing the mostly thorny woody plants, such as Acacia praecox, A. aroma, Caesalpinia paraguariensis, Ruprechtia triflora, Capparis tweediana and C. retusa and eating the pods of various Prosopis and Acacia spp. (Morello and Toledo 1959) supports an average stocking density of about one bovine animal unit to 10 to 15 ha of bush (Fretes et al. 1969). Understorey grasses are virtually absent: Setaria globulifera, S. fiebrigii and Digitaria sacchariflora are practically the only grasses found, but in very low frequency. There are studies demonstrating a severe degradation of the "monte" soils due to overgrazing under traditional grazing regimes. However, Adámoli et al. (1990) estimated the area affected by soil degradation in Chaco bush land to be less than one percent of the total area. Abril and Bucher (2001) reported that soil organic carbon losses are much lower under cultivated pastures than in over utilised bush land.

Sown Pastures with Introduced Forages. The establishment of pastures with selected grasses and legumes on cleared land raises herd productivity per unit area about ten fold (Glatzle and Cabrera 1996, and Table 3). Hence it is not surprising that the area of cultivated pastures increased five to six fold since 1980, mostly at the expense of native forests and bush. Large scale land clearing and pasture establishment obviously has adverse effects on landscape and species diversity and carbon sequestration. Therefore it is indispensable to take into account a number of land clearing regulations in order to maintain or create a healthy and diverse agro-ecosystem. A steadily increasing number of farmers leave at least 25 percent of the forest, woodlands or bush of a property intact (Ley Forestal 422/73).

• Leave intact a bush strip of 100 m width in east-west orientation, perpendicular to the prevailing wind (north-south) every 500 m and around the property (Resolución No. 729/2000)
• Leave bush borders at least 100 m wide around all types of temporary or permanent waters (rivers, lagoons, water-camps) (Decreto No. 18.831/86).

At present little research is carried out actively in Paraguay in the fodder and pasture sector. However, in the past, international or bilateral programmes and projects introduced and screened pasture species, initiated trials on pasture and herd handling and grazing management, and disseminated innovations in the forage and livestock sector. For example:

• an American agronomist employed by the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) who introduced buffel grass and initiated pasture cultivation in the Chaco
• the "Servicio Técnico Interamericano de Cooperación Agrícola (STICA)" who evaluated for the first time cattle breeds, native and introduced to Paraguay
• a Swiss project in connection with the "Instituto Agrario Nacional (IAN)" in Caacupé
• a USAID project in connection with PRONIEGA ("Programa Nacional de Investigación y Extensión Ganadera") in Pozo Colorado
• a French project in connection with the Fondo Gandero in La Patria
• a German project in co-operation with DIA (Dirección de Investigación Agrícola) in the Central Chaco (Estación Experimental Chaco Central, Cruce de los Pioneros).