Mapping the road for a sustainable digitalization within dairy production

Digitalization and PLF (precision livestock farming) technologies have great potential to facilitate the transition towards a sustainable food system, through increased resource efficiency and productivity. However, the status of adoption, use, and real-world impacts of these tools are largely unknown.

This knowledge is critical to enhance the role of PLF technologies in sustainable development within the dairy sector.

Therefore, this project aims to a) map the current status of PLF technologies within Swedish dairy production, b) increase the understanding of how and why PLF technologies are used in the daily work at farms, c) assess how these technologies affect the on-farm social, economic and environmental sustainability and d) identify how to increase the usefulness of PLF technologies for sustainable development of dairy production.

We will develop a survey to map the status of PLF technology adoption and use. Simulation models of economic and environmental impacts of PLF will be developed. These simulations will then be validated through empirical studies based on survey and farm-level data. The impact of PLF on social sustainability will be assessed based on data from the survey and in-depth interviews.

The results of the project will provide farm adapted support for a responsible, effective, and sustainable use of PLF technologies, so that these tools can play an enhanced role in facilitating the transition towards sustainable dairy production.