Energy and Carbon Impact of Precision Livestock Farming Technologies Implementation in the Milk Chain: From Dairy Farm to Cheese Factory

Todde, Giuseppe; Caria, Maria; Gambella, Filippo; Pazzona, Antonio Luigi

doi:10.3390/agriculture7100079

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…The livestock sector, one of the most important parts of the agrarian economy at European level, is charged as being the major contributor to the environmental impact of agriculture, more specifically due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (1)(2)(3). The livestock sector is generally considered responsible for a significant negative impact on the environment due to the considerable production of wastewater and effluents with a high pollution rate (2,4). Overall, although emissions from the agricultural sector have decreased over the last 20 years in EU countries, the dairy production chain alone has considerably increased methane (CH 4 ) emissions by 22.5%, between 1990 and 2017 (5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of Four Dairy Farming Scenarios in an Alpine Environment: The Case Study of Toma di Lanzo Cheese

et al. 2020

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The dairy sector accounts for a large share of all European agricultural production, at the same time however, it is one of the most ascribed sector contributors to the environmental impact of agriculture, particularly for greenhouse gas emissions. Simultaneously, it is a strategic sector for the economy but generates increasing debate in the community regarding the social aspects mainly related to the use of resources and the food-feed competition of livestock involving the reduction of human-edible crops. In this general framework, this study aims to compare four different dairy farming scenarios characterized by different use of environmental resources in the Alpine area, considering as a case study the production of the Toma di Lanzo cheese (a traditional cheese produced in the mountainous regions of Piedmont-Northwest Italy). The study envisaged the integrated use of three methodologies: Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing and the assessment of human-edible feed conversion efficiency to jointly analyze environmental, economic and social aspects. The main results of this research highlighted how the utilization of local breeds, which maximize the efficiency in the use of territory resources, such as grasslands in a mountain environment, allowed dairy production to reduce emissions, when compared to the high-input traditional breeding systems. Although the mountain livestock systems have several critical issues mainly linked to social factors such as low generational turnover, work schedules, modest life quality of families, it is however possible to earn more income than in lowland scenarios. At the same time, this production system allows the Toma di Lanzo cheese-making heritage to be preserved. This mountain pasture cheese, to which superior organoleptic and nutritional characteristics are attributable, when compared to cheeses from the valley floor, incorporates traditional values, a link to the territory and the transmission of knowledge. With reference to food-feed competition in livestock involving the reduction of the use of human-edible crops and feedstuffs in animal diets, we found that grazing and grass-based feeding systems were one of the most sustainable ways to produce milk.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of Four Dairy Farming Scenarios in an Alpine Environment: The Case Study of Toma di Lanzo Cheese

et al. 2020

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“…The concept of REDD was introduced to capture the co-benefits of REDD activities by including the roles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of forests. In addition to climate change mitigation, REDD in drylands was aimed at (indirectly) alleviating poverty and improving the living conditions of indigenous and local communities by promoting sustainable land management [145][146][147]. Soil conservation, agroforestry and silvo-pastoral practices along with sustainable soil and water management are some of the proven methods for enhancing the ecological and socioeconomic benefits from REDD initiatives in dry areas.…”

Section: Land Degradation Neutralitymentioning

confidence: 99%

From Historical Narratives to Circular Economy: De-Complexifying the “Desertification” Debate

Hälbac-Cotoară-Zamfir

Colantoni

Mosconi

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Assuming the importance of a “socioeconomic mosaic” influencing soil and land degradation at the landscape scale, spatial contexts should be considered in the analysis of desertification risk as a base for the design of appropriate counteracting strategies. A holistic approach grounded on a multi-scale qualitative and quantitative assessment is required to identify optimal development strategies regulating the socioeconomic dimensions of land degradation. In the last few decades, the operational thinking at the base of a comprehensive, holistic theory of land degradation evolved toward many different conceptual steps. Moving from empirical, qualitative and unstructured frameworks to a more structured, rational and articulated thinking, such theoretical approaches have been usually oriented toward complex and non-linear dynamics benefiting from progressive and refined approximations. Based on these premises, eleven disciplinary approaches were identified and commented extensively on in the present study, and were classified along a gradient of increasing complexity, from more qualitative and de-structured frameworks to more articulated, non-linear thinking aimed at interpreting the intrinsic fragmentation and heterogeneity of environmental and socioeconomic processes underlying land degradation. Identifying, reviewing and classifying such approaches demonstrated that the evolution of global thinking in land degradation was intimately non-linear, developing narrative and deductive approaches together with inferential, experimentally oriented visions. Focusing specifically on advanced economies in the world, our review contributes to systematize multiple—sometimes entropic—interpretations of desertification processes into a more organized framework, giving value to methodological interplays and specific interpretations of the latent processes underlying land degradation.

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“…Over the past decades, dairy farms have adopted innovative technologies to improve their productivity, profit and animal welfare [23,24]. Modern milking systems allow recording of milk yields, milking times, electrical conductivity, milk flow rates and alarms for each animal [25,26]. Currently, the level of technology available largely differs according to dairy-producing species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance and Usability of Smartglasses for Augmented Reality in Precision Livestock Farming Operations

et al. 2020

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In recent years, smartglasses for augmented reality are becoming increasingly popular in professional contexts. However, no commercial solutions are available for the agricultural field, despite the potential of this technology to help farmers. Many head-wearable devices in development possess a variety of features that may affect the smartglasses wearing experience. Over the last decades, dairy farms have adopted new technologies to improve their productivity and profit. However, there remains a gap in the literature as regards the application of augmented reality in livestock farms. Head-wearable devices may offer invaluable benefits to farmers, allowing real-time information monitoring of each animal during on-farm activities. The aim of this study was to expand the knowledge base on how augmented reality devices (smartglasses) interact with farming environments, focusing primarily on human perception and usability. Research has been conducted examining the GlassUp F4 smartglasses during animal selection process. Sixteen participants performed the identification and grouping trials in the milking parlor, reading different types of contents on the augmented reality device optical display. Two questionnaires were used to evaluate the perceived workload and usability of the device. Results showed that the information type could influence the perceived workload and the animal identification process. Smart glasses for augmented reality were a useful tool in the animal genetic improvement program offering promising opportunities for adoption in livestock operations in terms of assessing data consultation and information about animals.

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Energy and Carbon Impact of Precision Livestock Farming Technologies Implementation in the Milk Chain: From Dairy Farm to Cheese Factory

Cited by 18 publications

References 22 publications

Sustainability of Four Dairy Farming Scenarios in an Alpine Environment: The Case Study of Toma di Lanzo Cheese

Sustainability of Four Dairy Farming Scenarios in an Alpine Environment: The Case Study of Toma di Lanzo Cheese

From Historical Narratives to Circular Economy: De-Complexifying the “Desertification” Debate

Performance and Usability of Smartglasses for Augmented Reality in Precision Livestock Farming Operations

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