Jenny Mamani: The Benson Institute Making Dreams Come True

As a university student in need of funding for her guinea pig research, Jenny Mamani found support at the Benson Institute.

 

Introduction

Financing the thesis project required for graduation from a Bolivian university challenges even the most diligent students. Jenny Mamani, a Bolivian animal science student at La Paz’s University of San Andrés, had completed all of her class work; only a thesis project kept her from graduation. She found financial and logistical help through the Bolivian Air Force but was later informed that the requested materials could not be supplied. Pursuing every option for aid, she went to the Ezra Taft Benson Agriculture and Food Institute’s Bolivian office with her thesis proposal in hand.

Luis V. Espinoza, the Benson Institute coordinator for South American projects, was at the Bolivian office at the time. He recalls Mamani coming timidly to his desk to present her proposal and request support. He was impressed with her proposal, stating, “It was simple. She was looking at how to feed guinea pigs more efficiently, which is an important question to be answering in Bolivia.” The Institute agreed to fund her project and in January of 1997 Mamani began her thesis work as an official Benson Institute scholar.

Mamani counts egg as part of her thesis.

Mamani completed her research with the Benson Institute 11 months later, but because of financial and family concerns was unable to write her report. Espinoza and Elizabeth García, the Bolivian office manager, witnessed Mamani’s plight and supplied her with a paid internship at the Benson Institute’s Letanías research station, three kilometers outside of La Paz. Espinoza says: “She is serious, studious, and does good research.” The internship put Mamani in a position to concentrate on writing her thesis once again.

Early in 1998, the Benson Institute began seeking a resident scholar for the Brigham Young University poultry laboratory in Spanish Fork, Utah. Dr. N. Paul Johnston, the Institute’s director, operates the poultry lab and invites Latin American agriculture students to manage it. Mamani was one of three students invited to interview for the nine-month position. With a strong research background and a reputation for diligence, she was chosen to come to Utah in August of 1998 following the completion of her internship at the Letanías, Bolivian research station.

Jenny Mamani is currently revising her thesis for its defense some time this year. With the help of the Benson Institute, she overcame tremendous obstacles and gained pertinent experience for future employment. The result is several contributions to improve the quality of life in poor areas.

Thesis

A major protein source for Bolivians is the guinea pig (Cavia aperea porcellus). Raising these animals as a food source is a traditional practice in the Altiplano area, as the guinea pig is adaptable to the harsh climatic conditions. Guinea pig meat contains 20 percent protein, serving as a feasible solution to protein deficiency in the population. Economic benefits attend families who produce guinea pig meat efficiently and market the surplus for added income.

The Bolivian organization MEJOCUY (an abbreviation from the Spanish term for “guinea pig improvement”) at the University of San Simón has bred productive lines of guinea pigs for optimum genetic potential, but guineas pigs raised in rural areas do not reach this potential because they are not fed or cared for properly. Guinea pigs have small digestive systems and are not capable of eating all the plant matter necessary for optimal growth. Thus, feed must have a nutrient concentration which is as high as possible and is palatable to the guinea pig’s taste.

Mamani studied guinea pigs, a major source of protein for Bolivians.

Most families who raise guinea pigs feed them with low quality barley straw, alfalfa hay, wheat, bran, and available fresh alfalfa. The combinations of these materials create a feed with some value, but lower than optimal. Mamani sought a way to feed guinea pigs better without overtaxing a rural family’s resources. The feeding regime recommended by Mamani needed to be a simple one which would result in significant improvements in guinea pig growth.

The feed supplement tested by Mamani was barley sprouts. Mamani had read previous studies which suggest that barley sprouts have high nutritional value, are palatable, are digested well, and assist with nutrient absorption. Sprouting grain does not require soil nor large amounts of space as growing a mature crop does. Additionally, sprouts can be produced indoors at any time during the year, regardless of the frosts that occur in this area from May through July. The barley grains develop roots and shoots solely utilizing the nutrients stored in the seed, any nutrients dissolved in the water used, and photosynthates from the newly emerged leaflets.

Hypothesizing that barley sprouts added to guinea pig feed can improve production efficiency, Mamani carried out a feed experiment at the Letanías research station. Each of four diets was based on the common feed components of barley straw, alfalfa hay, wheat bran, and green chop alfalfa; a control diet contained no barley sprouts while three of the diets contained 25, 50, or 75 percent barley sprouts by weight. Because animals eat until their caloric requirements are fulfilled, each diet was formulated to maintain an equal amount of calories per gram of food. The experiment lasted nine weeks.

The principal measurements taken by Mamani were weight gain and feed consumption per animal. By dividing the amount of feed eaten by the net weight gain in an animal, Mamani calculated feed conversion values. Lower values signify better nutritional efficiency. The results indicate that using barley shoots as a feed additive generally increases the growth of the animal while reducing the amount of feed consumed. For males, a diet of 50 percent barley sprouts is most efficient, followed closely by a diet of 75 percent sprouts. A diet containing 25 percent sprouts is best for female guinea pigs.

This study indicates that families who raise guinea pigs for consumption and marketing can increase the efficiency and quality of the production by using feed supplements such as barley sprouts. Mamani recommends that further studies be done with other feeds. She also suggests that research be performed that focuses on pregnant female guinea pigs as well as projects to develop optional means of germinating grain year round. Putting into practice the results of several pertinent studies, rural guinea pig producers can increase the nutritional and economic status of their families.

The Poultry Lab

Previous to her association with the Benson Institute, Mamani worked with chickens, rabbits, and sheep. Her diligence and her experience in animal science, including her thesis project, made her a superior candidate for managing the Brigham Young University Poultry Laboratory in Spanish Fork, Utah. The time she spent as a thesis student and intern familiarized her with the Institute’s organization; extending her association with the Benson Institute to the poultry laboratory came as a natural progression.

Mamani arrived in Utah on 22 August 1998. Héctor Cortez of Bolivia, who managed the poultry lab before Mamani’s arrival, trained her for the first two weeks of her stay prior to Cortez’s return to Bolivia. Mamani’s main research was done on laying hens and turkeys. Working with Dr. Johnston, she carried out experiments analyzing the effects of light on egg production and two studies related to human nutrition practices in Latin America.

The first experiment necessitated the regulation of light and dark periods to analyze egg production patterns. Hens in five different rooms were exposed to various light patterns from 14 hours of light and 10 hours of dark per day to 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark per day. Some patterns included brief periods of light (from 15 seconds to 1 hour) which interrupted 16-hour dark periods.

According to the experimental data, an extended dark period (16 hours) greatly reduces the number of eggs produced on average by the hens. However, a 16-hour dark period interrupted with at least one minute of light seems to encourage egg production even more than does 14 hours of continuous light.

Such experiments provide suggestions to egg producers who raise hens under controlled conditions. Lighting conditions can be controlled by the producer to optimize the hens’ ability to lay eggs. Mamani performed a similar experiment with turkey hens.

Jenny Mamani works on her guinea pig research.

Two other experiments conducted during Mamani’s management of the laboratory involved giving chickens feeds that simulate diets of the rural poor. One examined the growth differences in chicks when fed the equivalent of corn tortillas or when given corn feed fortified with soy and/or various nutrients. The experiment reflects Institute efforts to encourage the use of soy as an ingredient in tortillas in Guatemala.

It became clear after six weeks that the best growth occurs when chicks are fed a corn diet supplemented with soybean, calcium, salt, trace mineral vitamins, and monophosphate. The lowest growth corresponds to a diet consisting solely of corn and salt; in fact, chicks on this diet weigh under one-fourth what chicks on the highly supplemented diet weigh. Demonstrating an experiment such as this in a community setting teaches rural families the importance of fortifying corn tortillas with more nutritious ingredients, including soybean.

The other experiment was formulated as a demonstration for the rural Ecuadorian population. Ecuadorian families sell the milk produced by their cows in exchange for Coca-Cola and large quantities of pasta noodles to feed their families. For this experiment, Mamani fed chicks a wheat diet (to mimic consumption of noodles) supplemented with water, milk, or Coca-Cola.

The Coca-Cola experiment gave dramatic results. Chickens raised on Coca-Cola and wheat grew less than chicks on the water diet and weighed one-tenth the amount of chicks raised on milk and wheat. The Benson Institute can reproduce this experiment in an Ecuadorian community, allowing parents to see the need for dietary changes in the family. This experiment is coupled with efforts to improve milk production and consumption; most families in this area own a dairy cow.

Though the management position initially was to last only nine months, Mamani was asked to remain for a full year at the poultry laboratory. She returned to Bolivia on 22 August 1999, possessing skills and knowledge to help her in future pursuits. She left an impact on the people of the Benson Institute equal to the assistance given to her.

Moving Upward

Jenny Mamani is not the only Latin American student who has overcome steep odds through Benson Institute intercession, yet she exemplifies the hard-working people the Institute seeks to aid. The Benson Institute has taught Mamani and students like her how to impart university knowledge to the poor of their nations. The Institute hopes that students like Mamani continue researching the needs of rural communities and build upon the tradition of sharing.