Objectives
The livestock sector is gaining attention in the context of climate change mitigation, due to its high greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, including adaptation of farming systems to new climate regimes, including variability and extreme events.
The main goal of the project SEBASTIEN is to deliver a Decision Support System (DSS) for a more efficient and (economically and environmentally) sustainable management, and consequent valuing, of the livestock sector in Italy and in particular cattle, sheep and goat breeding.
The DSS will address extensive and intensive cattle, sheep and goats’ farming systems to meet the needs and priorities of different actors, i.e., breeders, assisting practitioners, researchers in the field, governments, market operators, entrepreneurs, and SMEs.
The DSS will alert about the expected occurrence of uncomfortable conditions for animals affecting their general behavior, productivity, reproduction, mortality, as well as feed availability.
The project will mainly build on environmental, sectoral and other geospatial datasets:
Historical and future climate simulations at unprecedented spatial details over Italy will be combined into indicators of environmental comfort/wellbeing conditions.
Satellite images will be integrated for multi-dimensional analyses of feed availability.
Data will be integrated into user-tailored information through different techniques, from empirical/statistical indicators to Machine Learning algorithms. Produced information will be accessed and exploited through a Platform of customized tools and services.
Services
Sebastien will provide an Open Data and Services Exploitation Web Portal that will be a single access point to data, services and informative content. The web Portal will deliver four main services:
Service 1: Coping with environmental stressors for breeds to support livestock farming towards breed adaptation to environmental conditions and production needs.
- Species/Breeds: cattle (Italian Simmental).
- Areas: various, across Italy.
Service 2: Intensive farming risk management under climate extremes to alert about approaching or projected dangerous environmental circumstances for cattle.
- Breed: cattle (Italian Simmental).
- Areas: various, across Italy.
Service 3: Extensive farming management and feed availability based on indicators/indices about the phenological stage and greening of the naturally vegetated or managed areas used to feed livestock heads when conducted outdoors.
- Species/Breeds: sheep and cattle.
- Areas: Central Italy.
Service 4: Livestock farming under risks from combined abiotic and biotic factors to provide updated risk maps of parasites and diseases spread.
- Species: sheep.
- Areas: Sardinia and other potential sites across Italy.
The released Services’ Platform will contribute to making the livestock sector more environmentally (esp. climate) while also socio-economically sustainable and valuable, balancing needs and priorities of different stakeholders.
Linked projects
