Winning project from the 3rd Open Call funded by the AI4Copernicus Project

Company: Digitanimal
Country: Spain | Domain: Agriculture

An interview with the winners – Diego Varona, representing the LIVE4ENV project

Q: What was your motivation for creating this proposal?

A: The motivation behind this proposal stems from the huge potential of EO data to unleash innovative services for extensive livestock farming. Merging EO and livestock positioning data will enable livestock farmers to manage their farms more efficiently and sustainably. Moreover, the technical and business mentoring provided within the project has also been an incentive for the creation of this proposal.

Q: Which is the most critical impact (societal or other) that your project could make (if you could name one)?

A: The most critical impact of LIVE4ENV project has to do with the environment, especially with climate change. Livestock farming has been blamed for being a huge source of carbon emissions, however, when managed optimally, livestock farming has the potential to mitigate climate change by increasing carbon sequestration in pastures. Our main goal in this project is to develop a service to guide livestock farmers on how the implementation of environmentally-friendly practices.

Q: Considering the recent funding received through the AI4Copernicus Open Calls, do you have any plans for further development of your idea?

A: Digitanimal is currently involved in the development of innovative services based on EO data, such as the estimation of pasture availability or the assessment of environmental performance in livestock farms. This business line is crucial for the company in the short-term and we have received national funding for the implementation of these services. Therefore, the sustainability of the LIVE4ENV project is ensured.

A few words about the project: Grasslands occupy 1/3 of the total global landmass and provide the feed base for extensive livestock farms. This interaction is crucial for the provision of ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and the provision of food products. The development of AI-based tools using EO data and IoT devices for monitoring the environmental impact of extensive livestock farms is crucial for the long-term conservation of these ecosystems and the reappraisal of livestock farmers’ duty. The main objective of the LIFE4ENV project is the development and validation of AI-based service for assessing the environmental impact of extensive livestock farming and generating recommendations for an improved environmental performance of farms by using multiple data sources, such as EO data and IoT devices. Currently there is no such a service in the market, however, the goals of the project are in line with the European Green Deal and the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Therefore, the outcomes of the project will likely have a significant impact on farm management, policy-making and climate change mitigation.