Innovative management practices and promotion strategies for dairy products of mountain summer farms

SmartAlp project - Innovative management practices and promotion strategies for dairy products of mountain summer farms
Rural Development Plan (RDP) 2014-2020, Autonomous Province of Trento
Operazione 16.1.1. "Gruppi Operativi nell’ambito del Partenariato Europeo dell’Innovazione (PEI)”
(Project ID SRTRENTO11651 - CUP C66D17000170008)

Duration
36 months, from October 2017 to September 2020

Principal investigator for University of Udine
prof. Stefano Bovolenta

Summary
While livestock sector in general is often subjected to criticism, because of the intensification and the limited efficiency of production processes, today a growing interest for mountain livestock farming has been observed. In fact, “mountain users” (i.e. tourists), and the whole society sees in this activity the possibility to conjugate productive, environmental and social needs. The project wants to support dairy products of mountain summer farms, measuring the several positive externalities connected to it (landscape, animal welfare, quality product). New electronic and ICT related technologies will be introduced on a summer farm (Malga Juribello in the Paneveggio Park - Pale di San Martino, Trento), as part of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) systems in order to facilitate the collection of field data in a cost effective and timely manner. The project implies the use of sensor technology (pedometers, nosebands and 3D cameras for BCS monitoring), geographical information (GIS), remote sensing (RS) and georeferencing systems (GPS) for the monitoring of productive, environmental and behavioral data. The data collected will inform the development of valid management system on farm and science-based communication strategies for consumers.

Project partners
FEM - Edmund Mach Foundation, San Michele a./ Adige (Trento) (Lead partner)
FPAT - Provincial Breeders Federation of Trento
PPSM - Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Park
UNIUD - University of Udine
UNIPD - University of Padua

Working group
prof. Stefano Bovolenta, prof. Edi Piasentier, dr. Mirco Corazzin, dr. Monica Berlese, dr. Chiara Spigarelli

For more information
https://smartalp.wordpress.com