“Everything has changed. Rain and sun. The weather is not like before,”  Juana, an artisan from the rural Kellkana cooperative, explained. “The sun is very strong, it burns the skin.” 

Awamaki is looking to understand how climate change has affected the lives and agricultural experiences of our artisan partners. Fine alpaca fiber is the foundation of all our products–the knit goods, the woven goods, the purses, the key chains, the pillow cases, the belts. But fine alpaca fiber can only be formed under certain conditions. Mainly, it requires altitude. Unfortunately, high altitude communities are experiencing climate change rapidly and intensely, making animal-rearing increasingly difficult. 

"Since the alpaca was first domesticated in South America about 6,000 years ago, the animal has been at the heart of the region’s economic life” (Netto 2023). Alpacas are a source of meat, milk, fertilizer, clothes, and culture for many high-Andes Peruvian communities. Alpacas are well suited for Andean life, their hooves are less harsh on the sensitive soil than cows, they don’t need an enormous amount of water, and their wool is incredibly warm. Historically there has been symbiosis between Alpaca farmers and their high-altitude environment. Many families have been tending to alpacas for “generations, as far back as they can remember”  (Chauvin 2022). 

To answer our questions about the unstable reality of raising alpacas, we orchestrated a focus group. We wanted to know what climate change means to our partners, how it is impacting them, and what their concerns for the future are.

 

For many artisans, the shifting climate is inextricable from the shifting culture. Eustaquia, another artisan, recalled, “Our parents raised us with cuilis, and they tied us with chumpi. They carried us in blankets that they spun themselves. They didn’t buy anything.” Now, she emphasized, things are different. Many women echoed similar sentiments, talking about synthetic fabric, plastic cookware, and single-use goods. They were also quick to speak about wide-spread contamination and pollution. 

It was obvious to our artisan partners that the modern way of life is no longer compatible with the Earth. They remember a time when their lives were symbiotic with nature, but they see that has ended. 

“It didn’t used to be so hot because the glaciers regulated the temperature. Glaciers are disappearing world wide. It’s very hot. It feels like living in an oven,” said one of our artisan partner’s husbands. 

Many artisans mentioned the searing sun and its growing intensity. When they hang their washed clothes outside, they dry almost instantly. Excessive heat, which is causing fevers, is now the main threat to their young alpacas.

But it’s not just temperature increases, every aspect of weather patterns have changed. The days are hotter and the nights are colder. The wind is stronger. The rains are heavy but erratic. There are droughts. These radical changes are particularly threatening when a community’s livelihood is agriculture-based. 

“It was stable before. For example, it had to rain in September, and it did; there was always a harvest. Now, the rain can come early or be delayed. Last year, for example, they thought it might rain, but there was a frost, and the harvest wasn’t good” 

Although the Peruvian Andes has always been a place of extremes, the new unpredictability is disastrous for agriculture. Eustaquia summarizes, “It rains when it shouldn’t. It freezes when it shouldn’t. The seasons are no longer stable.” 

The uncertainty, the high highs and low lows of temperature, and the shrinking water supply are at the heart of their concerns. “The lagoons, springs, and glaciers are disappearing,” said one artisan. “Our animals die because there is not enough water,” said another. “There is no grass.” 

 

Baby alpacas are sensitive animals: radical climate swings are dangerous and drought is deadly. When it rains, it often rains viscously, bringing disease to the young herds. When it’s hot, they get lice and other less identifiable diseases. They need to be vaccinated and brought to the vet–something that was historically unnecessary. “What we do is buy medicine so that baby alpacas don’t die, whether from fever or other diseases. We buy medicines from the vet. Before, we didn’t go to the vet, we didn’t know it. We used herbs and plants to treat our animals.”

And, when one young alpaca dies, “many die at once.” 

Despite the struggles of raising animals under rapidly changing conditions, the artisans have experienced relief on one front. In the past, the frosts were the biggest threat to their baby animals, which, if it didn’t kill them, severely impacted the quality of their fiber. Now, the community rears genetically modified alpacas, which have high quality fiber that is more resistant to the effects of extreme temperature. “Buyers know how to select. They want to buy only the best.” one artisan explained. Guaranteed quality of product is a lifeline. 

They also lament the loss of the natural animal, however. “Now the alpaca has many chemicals…before, everything was sold as is.” 

Maintaining the profitability of their agricultural products has been helpful, but it doesn’t overcome the existential threats the artisan communities face. 

As they watch the glaciers shrink, see the grass dry out and fail to come back to life, feel the sun burn their skin, and tend to their sickly animals, there is a sense of fear. Can this tradition continue? 

There is a dichotomy in the sentiments of the Kellkanka community members. They want their children to have a different life, to be educated and have opportunities in urban areas. But they are proud of what they do. They love their alpacas and they are ready and willing to adapt.

“Before, when the frost came, the animals died the same way. It especially affects the babies. Before, frost was the main issue for alpacas, changing their fiber. Now, heat and fever are the main issues for alpacas.” 

“The alpaca fiber used to be natural, but the softness hasn’t changed. Now, the alpaca has many chemicals; it affects the meat more than the fiber. Before, we had simpler alpacas; now there are genetically modified alpacas. There are even improved sheep. It’s better quality because they have been genetically modified to improve alpaca fiber. With the alpacas we have, some are natural and some are modified. We compare them. The modified ones have finer fibers, and the natural ones are thicker and less soft. Buyers know how to select; they want to buy only the best. Before, everything was sold as is.”

As the realities of climate change come to fruition, we begin to see how the effects reverberate. The changes can be particularly difficult for those whose livelihoods are dependent rainfall, moderate temperatures, and predictable seasons. When your sources of food and income are intertwined absolutely with the world around you, you have a lot at stake.