The recent LD4D Community Conversation on “Digital Innovations for Livestock Development” brought together over 300 innovators, researchers, and practitioners from across the globe for two days of inspiring discussions and knowledge sharing. The virtual event, held on July 31 and August 1, 2024, showcased a range of digital solutions transforming livestock development in low- and middle-income countries.
To set the scene, guest speaker Dr. Mariette McCampbell provided valuable perspectives on digital innovation trends in the wider agriculture sector. She highlighted opportunities such as increasing production and improving market access, and key challenges around digital inclusion and responsible innovation.
The event then delved into specific digital solutions, with Day One focused on Integrated Management and Health Solutions. Presentations featured innovations like Nigeria’s L247-AIMS cloud-based livestock data system and Uganda’s AI-powered Jaguza platform. Speakers from India demonstrated how digital technologies are revolutionizing the dairy industry, with comprehensive Livestock Management Systems and smart dairy management suites.
Day Two explored the theme of Unlocking the Potential of Digital Livestock Services Anywhere. Highlights included the use of drones for animal disease surveillance in Kenya, the M-nomad online marketplace connecting pastoralists to buyers, and the AI-powered FlockWise chatbot offering personalized livestock advice to Kenyan poultry farmers.
Throughout the event, participants posed a range of thought-provoking questions to the presenters. Key topics covered included animal identification, data privacy and security, and strategies for driving technology adoption and scaling.
While countries such as India have widespread digital animal identification systems, other innovators explained how they work around the absence of such systems. Ugochi Izuora from Nigeria’s Livestock247 explained that they tag livestock from the point of contact, whether at the farm or market, and build a digital database. Ibrahim Hilowle from M-Nomad stated that in Northern Kenya, they work directly with pastoralists to track their animals, as there is no national identification scheme.
Regarding data security and privacy, Chris Janssen from FlockWise emphasised that farm-level data is not openly shared, but used to provide personalised advice to farmers, with their explicit consent. He explained that they encrypt the data, anonymise it where needed, and never share externally without explicit farmer permission.
When discussing technology adoption barriers, Mariette McCampbell identified key challenges such as infrastructure gaps, digital literacy, affordability, and alignment with local socio-cultural norms. She suggested strategies like partnering with community organisations, user-centric design, and exploring government incentive schemes to ensure more equitable and inclusive access.
The event also delved into the specific capabilities of digital technologies to improve health and productivity. Ryan Shin from Bodit shared that their AI-powered disease detection systems achieved over 95% accuracy in detecting behavioural changes linked to diseases. Simon Holland from Barefoot Lightning explained how they integrate veterinarians and paraveterinarians early, use decision support tools, and promote preventive ethnoveterinary remedies to address antimicrobial resistance concerns.