Agro-Livestock Farming System Sustainability during the COVID-19 Era: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract

In the near future, the year 2050, agricultural production should expand to fulfill the needs of approximately 9.7 billion inhabitants. Such an objective should be harmonized with social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects to maintain safe food production and food security worldwide. For more than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised and is still strongly disrupting the agro-livestock production sector, similar to several other economic sectors. In this sector, the relationships between suppliers, producers, and consumers should always continue to maintain the activity of the production chain, which are impaired by social distancing decisions taken following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, a global cross-sectional survey (translated into four languages: Arabic, English, French, and Spanish) was shared with people belonging to the agricultural sector to identify: (1) the role of the agricultural information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agro-livestock farming systems sustainability during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the need for such technologies in the agricultural sector, and (3) the factors that affect the use of such technologies. The results showed that the most frequently used agricultural ICTs were social media (Facebook and/or WhatsApp; 27.3%) and online platforms and Internet services (26.3%), whereas robotic vehicles and/or drones (6.6%) were less frequently used. During the emergence of the pandemic, the major reasons impacting agro-livestock farming systems’ sustainability were social distancing (30.0%), shortage of labor (17.7%), maintaining precision farm management (14.8%), product marketing (14.2%), access production inputs (7.2%), and others (16.1%). Applying agricultural ICTs solved many obstacles related to the production process, such as maintaining precision farm management (25.6%), product marketing (23.6%), and access production inputs (16.1%). The subgroup analyses of the results considering the degree of country advancement, size of agribusinesses, and role/position of respondents in the farm highlighted the importance of supporting the use, availability, and awareness of agricultural ICTs at least for some groups of people such as those belong to developing countries, laborers, and small-scale agri-business holders. This cross-sectional study highlights the urgent need to turn to and to expand the use of new agricultural ICTs to meet the growing demand for food production in the world and to ensure the resilience and sustainability of farming systems, specifically under unexpected and extreme conditions.

Applications of Smart Technology as a Sustainable Strategy in Modern Swine Farming

“…The future generation will require more choice of meat, milk, eggs as well as other livestock products which may lead to a significant food insufficiency, especially of food originated from livestock [13]. The economy of many developing countries mainly depends on agriculture (livestock sector), and the roles of animals in producing a substantial amount of protein-rich food is encouraging livestock production [5]. With this concern, FAO highlighted the significant role of ICT-based smart agricultural farming as an effective way to satisfy the higher demand of food for future population [14].…”

“…Application of ICT knowledge in agriculture is not only useful for smart livestock farming but is also important for communication between government, farmers, and middlemen, associated with markets and consumers, etc. ; meanwhile, the interaction may have a role in improving the production of the farm, as well as ensuring food security [5,6]. Therefore, a possible solution to this issue is presented in establishing sustainable livestock production through implementation of precision livestock farming, where smart equipment can be applied in farming systems with a view to increasing animal production with a modern management system.…”

Influence of COVID-19 on the sustainability of livestock performance and welfare on a global scale

“…Developing countries have also been severely affected as they rely on international trade (Galanakis, 2020 ; Seleiman et al, 2020 ). Several countries also suffered from a shortage of the veterinary services, production equipment, vaccines, disinfectants, feed additives, and drugs at the farm level due to restrictions on the trade and movements (FAO, 2020b ; Hashem et al, 2020 ; 2021 ), which negatively impacted animal health and welfare (Hashem et al, 2020 ; 2021 ). Furthermore, the global demand for animals and animal products has been negatively affected due to the closure of various outlets and restaurants, strict lockdown, and transport restrictions.…”

Animal Welfare, Health and the Fight against Climate Change: One Solution for Global Objectives

“…The fundamental role of agriculture and livestock is to meet the demand for food, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has underlined how important it is to have a robust supply chain [9,10]. Furthermore, the income factor is central to businesses, which must be helped to become more efficient and competitive by guaranteeing that they can earn the income necessary to move forward and to adopt modern animal welfare policies, given that the global consumption of food of animal origin is on the rise [11], and is putting increasing pressure on ecosystems [12].…”