What is Smart4Welfare?
Smart farming technologies (SFT) and herd health programmes (HHP) have emerged as tools for enhancing animal health and welfare (AHW) to meet societal demands and support the sustainability of dairy farms. However, the impact of these developments is inhibited by the lack of systematic knowledge about the factors that affect the adoption of SFTs and the interrelationship of this process with the development and adoption HHPs, and the economic and social outcomes of both in the context of improving sustainability of variety of dairy farming systems characteristic to the EU agriculture. Better understanding is needed about the use and determinants of SFTs and HHPs for AHW management in dairy farms. By combining desk studies, expert interviews, case studies, farm survey, Living Lab discussions, and international workshops this research will study dairy farmers’ and value chain actors’ perceptions about the main incentives and barriers to SFT adoption for AHW management. It will assess their views on the role of SFTs in AHW management and status, adoption of HHPs in the farms, and the usefulness of these programmes from AHW and socioeconomic perspectives as perceived by farmers. The project will analyse the existing HHPs by comparing their data protocols, data collection methods, data flows, and incentive and/or payment schemes. Additionally, the project will research how public and private sectors could incentivize farmers to adopt SFT for improved AHW management, farm income, and sustainability. A high level of interdisciplinary expertise, stakeholder involvement, and effective communication and dissemination will ensure that the results of this project will support the development of impactful technologies, increase technology adoption, enhance the adoption and effectiveness of HHPs, and support the creation of public and private policies that promote sustainable livestock production systems.
Project structure
The project is organized in three research work packages (WP1-WP3) and coordination and communication work package (WP4). In WP1-WP3 the overall workflow follows similar structure (WPs)
The work begins with state of the art analysis and conceptualization of the empirical study. After that the empirical study is conducted in two phases: 1) case study analysis of farms that represent typical dairy farming systems in project countries; 2) a questionnaire survey is conducted among nationally or regionally representative sample of dairy farms. Results of the state of the art analysis, case studies and questionnaire survey with regards to use of SFT for enhanced AHW and herd health management through HHPs are discussed and validated in living lab (LL) meetings in all project countries. Where possible, LL meetings will be organized in case study farms, in order to bring participants as close as possible to real life practical examples. LL meetings serve a dual purpose – they are valuable communication tools for the project, but they are also a participatory research method that will provide crucial insights into the research findings. Results of the comparative analysis of the findings from WP1-WP3 will be presented and discussed in three international online workshops. Project findings will be communicated to professional and academic target groups in the forms of summary reports, case studies, policy briefs, conference presentations and research papers
WP1 – Smart farming technologies for animal health and welfare (Leader: UOULU). WP1 combines desk study, literature review and expert interviews to study the state of the art of SFT for AHW, and their adoption in all based project countries. Farmers and related stakeholders will be interviewed about the main incentives and barriers of SFT adoption. In all project countries case studies of five farms that represent typical dairy farming systems are conducted to provide in-depth insights into use of SFT for AHW management and their role on participation in HHPs. Insights from the state of the art and case studies will feed in preparation of farm questionnaire survey where we are interested in which exact tools of SFTs are used at farms, how frequently and skillfully they are used, what were the reasons that made the farm adopt SFT, has SFT met their expectations and how, in their opinion, the technologies have improved, if they have improved, AHW management and status. The results of the WP1 will be validated in one national LL meeting that will be organized in each project country. An international online workshop will be organized to present and discuss the main findings on the use of SFT for AHW.
WP2 – Herd health management (Leader: EDC). WP2 maps HHPs in Estonia, Finland, Germany and Slovakia, their data protocols, data collection methods, data flow, and incentives and payment schemes. The current examples of such programmes include the farm subsidy payment for higher AHW standards in Estonia (PRIA, 2025), NASEVA programme in Finland (Naseva, 2025) and QM quality scheme in Germany (QM-Milch, 2025). According to the knowledge of the project consortium, no national or regional HHP is applied in Slovakia. Therefore, AHW management at farms and data flow of AHW data in Slovakia will be studied. Desk study, literature review and interviews with relevant stakeholders are used as a methodological approach in the 1st stage of the research. The case studies done in all project countries will include a chapter on the AHW management and farmers’ experience in participation in the HHPs. In the questionnaire survey, we are interested in how farmers like HHPs, which elements of the programmes they find most and least useful. Also, we will ask farmers how they think the SFT could help managing HHPs at the farm level. The results will be further discussed and validated in one national LL meeting in all project countries. An international online workshop will be held to present and discuss the main findings on the role of HHPs in AHW management.
WP3 – Economics on smart farming technology-driven animal health and welfare improvements (Leader: TUM). investigates farmers’ decision-making process regarding the adoption of SFT (WP1) and participation in HHP (WP2) for AHW management. It is assumed that the decision making of farmers is a complex phenomenon, shaped by the nexus and interdependencies of economic considerations, such as costs, benefits, financial incentives, and shifts in operational procedures, next to behavioural factors, like beliefs, attitudes, and values. The research follows a structured multi-phase approach. In the 1st stage of the research, these issues will be studied via desk research, literature review and expert interviews to establish a comprehensive understanding of (socio-)economic drivers and barriers. These insights will support the development of case study analyses and farm questionnaire survey in the 2nd phase, allowing for an in-depth empirical investigation. We are interested in how public and private sectors’ initiatives could incentivise farmers to adopt SFT and HHP for enhanced AHW management, AHW, farm income and sustainability. Findings from all research phases will be discussed and validated in national LL meeting. An international online workshop will be held to present and discuss the main findings on the economics of SFT-driven AHW improvements. This is a holistic approach that facilitates and supports the SFT adoption process and AHW at the farm-level, ensuring a multi-stakeholder and cross-country perspective, assisting actionable policy recommendations for sector transformation.
WP4 will focus on Coordination and Management Activities.
Expected social impact
The objective of the project is to identify the determinants and incentives that influence the farm level decision making process for adoption of SFTs for better AHW management through HHPs. The outcomes of the project will assist in the development of technology, policy and market remuneration schemes to facilitate the transition towards sustainable livestock production systems.