Livestock sector digitalization and landscape promotion
Livestock production on marginal lands is usually linked to permanent grassland grazing as part of extensive agroecological farming systems such as agroforestry. Livestock grazing should be based on adequate and flexible stocking rates usually linked to farmer experience to match grassland production and animal needs. Livestock paddock rotation is the basis to ensure homogeneous grazing pressure in permanent grasslands avoiding both over- and undergrazing. Overgrazing causes permanent grassland resilience reduction, being related to negative environmental processes such as biodiversity losses, soil erosion and compaction and heavy nitrate leaching, while undergrazing promotes biodiversity losses, encroachment usually associated with an enhanced forest fire risk considering current climate change challenges. Landscape associated with marginal lands is strongly dependent of the presence of megahervibores (i.e. domestic animals) needed to maintain landscape cultural and traditional uses. Current marginal lands are usually linked to negative rural demographic trends enhanced by the rural population emigration and ageing therefore subsequently associated to the lack of farmers to maintain the landscape. Rural Areas Digitalization linked to geolocalization collars and virtual fencing can definitively contribute to reduce the impact of lack of farmers in protected landscapes. Geolocalization collars are essential to find animals in large areas helping farmers to follow up the livestock movement. Moreover, recording livestock geoposition during different periods can be analysed to understand grazing behavioural patterns linked to over- and undergazing and feed palatability to better organize large rangeland areas. Once identified under- and over-grazed areas, the use of virtual fencing is essential to favour or prevent grazing in order to maintain the landscape, provide the best feed for livestock and promote ecosystem services in those marginal lands.
Additional information
The DIGI-Rangeland project brings together partners from 10 countries, coordinating national networks (France, Romania, Greece, Spain, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland), and also disseminating its knowledge within the Balkan network with its Croatian partner. Consult our publications and documents on the project website: https://digirangeland.eu
DIGItal innovation and data technology network for RANGELAND livestock farming systems
Ongoing | 2025-2029
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- France, Romania, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, United kingdom, Switzerland