Research project Tools for assessing circularity and sustainability in mixed dairy farming systems.
Multi-criteria assessment, decision support and management tools for sustainable circular mixed farming systems for dairy production
General introduction
The transition to a more sustainable, circular, mixed dairy farming can be supported by allowing farmers to continuously and automatically monitor the indoor climate and emissions of their barns. The mentioned transition is the ole of the project Dairymix. ILVO's task within the project is to further develop OTICE, an Online Tool for Monitoring Indoor Barn Climate and Emissions. OTICE is a cost-efficient emission monitoring system at the barn level. Within the overall European DairyMix project, multicriteria analysis is being used and modeling and management tools are being developed.
Research approach
DairyMix takes a systems approach to sustainable dairy farming, focusing on European regions. There are five work packages. Data from case studies, from the DATAMAN database, Eurostat data, and data from OTICE, are collected and analyzed. The results of this analysis serve as the basis for a multi-criteria analysis of mixed dairy farming, focusing on indicators of circularity and resource efficiency.
Relevance/Valorization
Dairy farming is a pillar of European agriculture. Milk products provide high-quality proteins essential for the food supply. One downside of dairy farming is the heavy reliance on external inputs such as soy and mineral fertilizers. The Dairymix project aims to provide a platform to evaluate the effects of changes in agricultural practices at both farm and regional levels. This evaluation focuses on environmental, economic and social sustainability indicators, providing the project with valuable insights for the industry.
