Precision livestock farming in the 21st century: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to review the recent development of different technologies in precision livestock farming (PLF), along with their scopes and challenges. PLF is an innovative, contemporary, and fast-expanding approach to agriculture that aims to improve sustainable livestock farming. The growing global population has increased the demand for animal products. To meet this demand, farmers have to increase their production, so without the integration of precision technology, this cannot be achieved. PLF currently employs a variety of technologies. Some of these methods include vision-based solutions, load cells, accelerometers, microphones, thermal cameras, photoelectric sensors, and radio-frequency identification (RFID). Despite the availability of different PLF technologies, their adoption by farmers varies widely on the basis of the cost of investment, ease of operation, availability, and accessibility. These technologies are used to track different activities of livestock farming, such as feeding, drinking, physical behavior, temperature regulation, tracking and identification, estrus detection, disease detection, and milking. PLF contributes significantly to technological advancement, human-animal relationships, environmental sustainability, and increased productivity. It does, however, present a number of obstacles and eventual advantages.