The hills surrounding Ocra are covered in Peruvian feather grass (Jarava ichu), which is used both as feed for livestock during herding, as well as the base material for thatched roofs, which are mostly applied on storage buildings.

The rugged, hilly terrain makes the use of mechanised agriculture impossible, so fields are traditionally ploughed by human labor alone, or with the assistance of horses.

Secondary crops consumed include quinoa, wheat, beans, tarwi, maize and barley, but not all of them can grow in Ocra's climate.

[6] Ocra is governed by a community council that holds weekly meetings with all inhabitants in attendance; most decisions are made directly democratic.

The local laws of Ocra prescribe 4 days of faena per month, and the community council decides over when and where the collective labor force shall be deployed.

Since most contributions are in the form of labor, construction projects usually focus on adobe buildings and other structures that can be realized with locally available materials.

[9][10][11] Ojotas are used barefoot year-round, even in sub-zero temperatures, for working in herding, farming and construction; despite their cheap cost and heavy use on mountainous terrain, they usually last more than 2 years.

[13] Ocra's winters (May–August) are mild and dry, its summers (November–February) are slightly warmer and much wetter with 162 mm (6.5 inches) of rain, as is usual for this region.