Before I started researching for this column, I had no idea that there were folks who kept track of cattle, bovine, and such other populations in this country. It seems the number of cattle was 192.49 million and bovine, about 302.79 million (including cattle), as per 2019 estimates. While driving, when you come across these cute-looking but woolly-headed creatures on the road, you try hard not to run them down because they have no sense of time, place, or propriety. It’s challenging enough to feed them so why would someone want to monitor them so painstakingly? 

To a livestock farmer, such a question would elicit derision, and frankly, why should it not? The livestock sector plays a very important part in the socio-economic development of rural households in India. Its earnings contribute as much as 6% of the GDP and 25% of the Agricultural GDP. Cattle is a RESOURCE. The ones we see on city roads disrupting traffic are those which have expended their value, unfortunately. 

The global market for animal-based food has been expanding rapidly, but India loses out significantly due to diseases that affect cattle. The average annual milk yield of Indian cattle is 1172 kg which is 50% of the global average. The obvious implication is that cattle need to be cared for in a much better manner, and human efforts need to be complemented through tech intervention. It’s the very same idea that we see in the industry – technology augmenting productivity for the human in the loop.  

AI in Animal Husbandry

AI-enabled wearables are part of modern-day existence and even cows have not been spared of these dangling devices around their necks that capture every bit of information imaginable. For example, estrus is the cycle when these four-legged mammals are ready to mate and it can be determined (accurately) by these devices while tracking data on behavioral changes and body temperatures. Thank heavens for small mercies – the concept of data privacy is lost in these beauties. So, what’s the big deal? Didn’t farmers know it anyway? Yes, they did, but it becomes extremely difficult when the numbers are very high. 

The quality of milk is dependent on breeding. Imperfections in this process can lead to poor/weak progeny. But it can be addressed scientifically and that’s precisely what TCS’s AI-enabled solutions offer under their mKrishi platform. Encouraged by its huge success in maximizing agricultural yields, the IT giant uses AI systems to match existing cattle breed with suitable mates for cross-breading. A study revealed that the existing breed could deliver no more than 4 litres of milk per day but with effective cross-breeding techniques, scientifically carried out, the yield has gone up to 16 litres over 3 – 4 generations. When the calf is born, it is issued a digital certificate and marked as a probable high-yielding milk producer. TCS has leveraged its co-innovation network comprising tech startups and expert bodies such as BAIF & Indian Agriculture Research Institute. 

How much input is adequate - the answer to this all-encompassing question is relevant to a marketer just as much as it is to a farmer in livestock? Monitoring systems aided by IoT sensors, bots, and AI is at the heart of a “smart” cowhouse. Detailed observation by AI-powered image analysis can detect illnesses early, including injuries. It can be imagined on the lines of a system which monitors cows 24/7/365 to ensure they stay healthy to maximize their value. These vital signs play a critical role when artificial insemination is carried out leading to higher quality breeding.    

Optimizing Value

If the value is to be optimized for each cow, then there has to be a “personalized” approach to gather a finer understanding of dietary requirements, behavioral patterns, illnesses, body temperatures, and other parameters. If one can do that, a simple back-of-the-envelop calculation projects a 4X growth in value (4 litres to 16, in terms of milk-yielding capacity). The average lifespan of a cow is about 20 years and they can give birth after the completion of two years. This entire gamut of activities ranging from feeding the right amount of fodder to cross-breeding is a 5 – 6-year cycle before it starts showing results in future progenies (higher milk production) but the health of cattle will show improvement from year 1 itself, and 4 litres can even become 6, if such kind of monitoring is done with great resolve. 

The Intelligent Dairy Farm Assistant is a combination of two advanced technologies – AI & motor sensors. The latter is tied to the cow’s neck to transmit data and the AI can decipher patterns after an adequate amount of data is collected. Accordingly, alerts can be sent to the farmer when there’s a change in pattern that warrants human intervention. There are approximately 10 million dairy farmers in India so there’s tremendous scope for economies of scale to kick in and bring down price points substantially(devices). 

The other offshoot from cow identification technology could be about insurance, which has been very low in India. In a country where life insurance penetration in humans is only in single digits then we have a very far way to go in terms of animal insurance and claims being settled in a timely manner. Digital identification may be a major step forward to ensure that there aren’t fraudulent claims. If the process can be made smoother, who knows, it may induce farmers to take up animal insurance far more seriously. 

The opportunities are massive but we need a strong communication channel to reach out to millions of farmers and convey why this investment is critical. This approach has worked well for crops and it should bring in similar results in livestock farming. Animal welfare for a farmer has always been a priority, and now we can make them see greater value through technology.