Although barley is extensively grown in the Peruvian highlands as a food crop, agronomic and quality performance are poor. In addition, there are few reports of the successful application of modern technologies, such as doubled haploidy, in developing nations. Double-haploid technique was used to obtain barley cultivars better suited to this environment. From barley crosses Ya/LM94, B16/LM94 and B12/LM94, four promising double-haploid lines were evaluated in the highland Acobamba Farming Community along with their parents and two control cultivars (PPch, UNA80). Double-haploid lines, Ya/LM94-PC27 and B12/LM94-PC34, were the most agronomically acceptable. Here we describe their potential economic benefits for Acobamba farmers. Both reached the best quality grade based on hectoliter mass, and should therefore obtain the highest market price, and provide the best incomes, gains, and profitability rates. In comparison, PPch and UNA80 if grown would be unprofitable, and LM94 would be markedly less profitable. Use of the double-haploid technique in our breeding program was estimated to cut research expenses by 26%, due to the shorter time for cultivar improvement. © 2009 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.