SUS3D
One SUStainability vision in Dairy farms: a big Data approach for a perspective Decision-making
The sustainable development of animal-based production systems represents a crucial challenge in light of the growing global demand for food and the need to reduce environmental impacts while ensuring animal health and welfare. In this context, the SUS3D project proposes an innovative “One Sustainability” approach that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions while systematically incorporating animal health and welfare. The project led to the development of an innovative framework for the comprehensive assessment of sustainability in dairy cattle farming systems.
Achieved Results
The project successfully achieved its main objectives through the development of an integrated One Sustainability framework that combines environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions with animal health and welfare assessments in dairy cattle farms. One of the key objectives was to address a previously unresolved methodological gap, namely the lack of a tool capable of integrating traditional sustainability indicators with data on dairy cow health and welfare. This objective was achieved through the development of a transparent and reliable model capable of collecting and integrating metrics from all relevant ecosystems of dairy production.
Significant progress was made in terms of methodological innovation. An advanced and integrated approach was developed and tested to link environmental sustainability assessments with animal welfare outcomes and socio-economic aspects, thereby achieving the project's primary goal of creating a comprehensive and multidimensional decision-support tool.
Among the project outcomes was the development of two structured questionnaires, both approved by the Bioethics Committee of the University of Bologna. These tools were designed to support standardized and organized data collection for future research and operational activities. The first questionnaire is intended for the collection of environmental, economic, and social data from dairy cattle farms, while the second is designed to assess the sustainability of dairy farming systems from the perspective of consumers. Both questionnaires are freely available for download from the project website and are intended as operational tools for the scientific community, industry professionals, stakeholders, and policymakers. These instruments are expected to serve as a useful reference and starting point for structured data collection in future projects, studies, and initiatives.
During the project, extensive datasets were collected directly from dairy farms, including information on housing conditions, management practices, animal welfare and health, socio-economic performance, and the ethical acceptability of dairy production. These multidimensional datasets were systematically analyzed,
enabling the research team to demonstrate the feasibility and practical relevance of integrating animal welfare and sustainability indicators within a single decision-support framework.
The scientific impact of the project is evidenced by the production of scientific publications and conference contributions showcasing innovative applications of precision livestock farming technologies and sustainability assessment tools. These include presentations on preliminary environmental sustainability results from farms equipped with precision livestock farming technologies, as well as studies on the integration of animal welfare into broader sustainability assessments.
Dissemination activities further confirm the achievement of the project's key objectives. Results were shared through international workshops, scientific conferences, articles published in industry magazines, and podcast content. All project outputs, methodological insights, and dissemination materials have been made available through the project website, promoting transparency and facilitating their adoption by stakeholders.
In summary, the project achieved its objectives in terms of tool development, data integration, and sustainability assessment across the various ecosystems of the dairy value chain. It provides a validated multidisciplinary framework that can support both future policy development and practical sustainability improvements within the dairy sector.
D.D. del MUR n. 104 del 02/02/2022
Codice progetto MUR: 202298TNH3
CUP:J53D23009750006
Coordinatore di progetto: Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna - UniBo
Ruolo UNIBO: PI
Research areas: Agricultural engineering
Scientific officer: Marco Bovo
Duration: 13/10/2023 - 12/10/2025
Research group: Marco Bovo, Maria Luisa Dindo, Chiara Cevoli, Daniele Torreggiani, Mattia Ceccarelli.