The project’s key objective was the development of a sustainability app through a partnership between twelve dairy farmers in the Dutch provinces of Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland and UNIFORM, an international company that develops management software for dairy production. The intended focus of the sustainability app was to provide insight into sustainability, energy savings and water consumption and provide recommendations on what measures can be taken and how they should be implemented to have a minimal impact on costs and operations.
In the app, the following indicators are measured and tracked: energy consumption (gas and electricity, diesel), water consumption, CO2 equivalent emissions, CO2 storage per hectare, green electricity (windmills, solar panels or biomass), share of sustainable agricultural raw materials and grazing. The indicators are combined with data from UNIFORM-Agri’s management software to provide insight into and promote the sustainability of dairy farms through smart interpretations, programming and advice.
Through the app, farmers are able to compare the sustainability of their own business against other farms in the region, as well as with policy objectives. By programming advanced intelligence into the self-learning system, the app can recommended actions that will maximize sustainability gains without compromising the region’s operations and competitiveness.
