Assessing and mitigating the impact of livestock agriculture on the environment through geospatial and big data analysis

Abstract

Intensive livestock farming has been linked to excessive pollution and contamination of land, water and air. A common body of knowledge is required in order to understand and assess this impact of agriculture, and take proper countermeasures with a focus on the sustainability and the protection of the physical environment, affecting agricultural productivity as little as possible. In this paper, we examine the problem of the environmental impact of livestock agriculture, targeting animal manure, which is a serious problem in various territories of Europe and the USA. Aiming to address this problem, we have developed AgriBigCAT, an online software platform that uses geophysical information from various diverse sources, employing geospatial and big data analysis, together with web technologies, in order to estimate the impact of the livestock agricultural sector on the environment, examining possible pollution of land, water and air, considering various scenarios and potential applications to mitigate the problem. The AgriBigCAT platform can assist both the farmers' decision-making processes and the administration planning and policy making, with the ultimate objective of meeting the challenge of increasing food production at a lower environmental impact.