Although it has environmental benefits and is not one of the most polluting factors compared to other human activities, widespread animal husbandry has been in the spotlight for some time due to methane gas emissions. Greenhouse effect and, consequently, climate change. This methane comes from intestinal fermentation, which takes place in the digestive system of some animal species. Microbes living in the digestive tract break down carbohydrates from ingested food and convert them into energy for the animal. The problem is that one of the byproducts of this fermentation is methane (which is mainly exhaled through the mouth and not through the air, as one might believe).
The fact is that cows (especially), sheep emit methane, but they help to mitigate the greenhouse effect, because by grazing and the regeneration of these pastures they help to capture carbon in the soil, which is part of CO2. , another important gas contributing to climate change. The Iregon project attempts to improve this carbon sequestration through animal monitoring and soil analysis, with the ultimate goal of providing ranchers with recommendations to improve the management of their animals, reducing their environmental impact.
Launched a year ago, the project is an initiative funded by the 2021 call for assistance aimed at research and development projects in artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. It is led by Digitanimal, a company specializing in the geolocation of livestock through GPS collars, in collaboration with the University of Córdoba and the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA). An acronym that stands for “Artificial Intelligence Used to Reduce Environmental Impact in Intensive Livestock Farming,” Irigan.
The initiative is based on using IoT devices, satellite imagery and artificial intelligence techniques to quantify the carbon footprint of extensive livestock farms. The project aims to develop methods to estimate greenhouse gas emissions produced by livestock and allow for carbon sequestration in grasslands.
Javier Alejandre, a UPA technician involved in the project, explains that the initiative arises from the need to reduce the carbon footprint of extensive livestock farming. Methane emissions are a fact, but they are not always the same. Animal feeding has an impact, which is why sometimes improving management to ensure grazing in specific areas can reduce these emissions, although this factor is more compatible with intensive livestock farming through forage.
However, Alejandro clarifies that reducing these emissions is not the main objective of Irecon, but rather to calculate how much is emitted and try to offset it by sequestering as much carbon as possible in grasslands. Although he feels that “climate neutrality cannot be achieved,” the bottom line of extensive livestock operations can be greatly improved.
Two tools.
Daniel Cea is an agronomist at DigitalAnimal. He explains that two integrated tools will be used to improve carbon capture. On the one hand, soil analysis and, on the other hand, tracking the daily movements of animals during grazing. With the latter, Alejandro can create what he calls a “heat map,” that is, identify which areas are frequented and which areas are frequented by cows. The herd monitoring will be done by Digitanimal’s GPS-enabled collars, which are already very useful to ranchers, but are key to this project.
Cea says these heat maps will be compared to soil analysis. They are made by extracting with a pipe or an auger 30 cm deep pieces of soil divided into two parts: five centimeters of the surface on one side and the remaining 25 centimeters on the other.
These samples are analyzed by researchers at the University of Córdoba to check certain parameters: nutrients (phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen), apparent density, carbon content and electrical conductivity. Considering the values obtained through these studies and the intensity of continuous grazing in the sampled area, recommendations can be made, allowing the farmer to move his animals from certain areas within the parameters at his disposal. For others at the right time, the soil will be in better condition, the grass will regenerate at a better rate and carbon capture will, as a result, be optimal.
To refine these calculations, the data is combined with satellite imagery. This technology allows us to know how much grass is in each area at all times and correlate it with previous grazing.
Alejandre says that everything is not as easy as it seems. Spain has different ecosystems and the management of cows in mountain pastures in the Cantabrian mountains is not the same as that practiced in the pastures in Extremadura, and the soil is not the same, to give two examples. For this reason, Iregon is developing fieldwork in multiple locations across the country so that farmers from any part of the country can benefit from the results of the project.
And, in addition to environmental benefits, irrigant also has the potential to provide economic and social benefits to ranchers. Recommendations generated by the system can help farm owners improve their performance, which can translate into increased production and profitability. Likewise, the Airegan program will help livestock farmers comply with new sustainability regulations. It will also be a support for checking grazing areas, essential for issuing CAP applications and subsequent aid collection.
Soil analysis is also useful in agriculture.
Although it has nothing to do with the Aragon project, the Ministry of Agriculture will analyze the carbon content of the agricultural soils of the Spanish territory and determine the ability to separate this element and establish the sites of the future credit certification system, whose new law has been proposed by the European Commission. The work, in its first phase, will continue till March 2024. The carbon content of the soil in Spain is the lowest in Europe. It is important to recognize its characteristics and parameters to contribute to the future development of agricultural activities. The analyzes will allow us to know its fertility, its water retention capacity and support the fight against climate change.
The Ministry has expanded the scope of the Survey of Crop Areas and Yields in Spain (ESYRCE) and will add value, as it will not only include information on yields and surface area, but also data on soil quality. This survey provides precise information on the areas cultivated in Spain, the yields obtained and the explanatory variables of agricultural activities such as soil management techniques or irrigation available to compare the yields of crops and areas. Now, in addition, it will allow us to know the carbon content of the soil, and incorporate the information into a digital tool.
Due to the large sample size of this survey, soils from 16,000 plots spread across the territory will be analyzed every two years. This model allows significant and robust data for all areas, whether land uses or land management techniques. Also, being included in ESYRCE, the relationship between soil management techniques, carbon content and obtained yields can be known.
In addition, agricultural and livestock practices introduced with the new Common Agricultural Policy aim to assess whether rotations such as conservation agriculture, plant cover in crops, improved species or extensive grazing contribute to improving the carbon content of Spanish soils. Reduce corrosion and increase their fertility. This work will provide very valuable information to all farmers in their activities in an area as important as carbon farming. Therefore, the aim of the work that is starting now is not only to provide a complete picture of the current state of agricultural soils, but also to repeat them every two years to analyze their evolution.
