Intelligent Animal Husbandry: Farmer Attitudes and A Roadmap for Implementation

Abstract

In order to preserve and develop sheep breeding, it is necessary for traditions to meet with intelligent technologies. This will ensure a better quality of animal products (both dairy and meat), increase the health status of the animals, reduce their stress levels, optimize the costs of the farmers and a number of other benefits. The purpose of this article is to show the possibilities of intelligent technologies in modern sheep farming. In it, one hundred different farms in southern Greece were studied and the attitudes of their owners towards the implementation of intelligent monitoring of sheep flocks were established. Analyzes of farmers’ propensity to adopt AI technologies are performed. On this basis, a road map has been proposed, facilitating the process of introducing intelligent sheep farming. It is applicable both to the study area and to other geographical areas with sheep farming traditions.