For small and medium-sized livestock farmers, maintaining animal health and welfare is part of everyday farm management. From keeping animals comfortable during extreme weather to ensuring appropriate feeding and housing conditions, farmers make daily decisions that affect both animal wellbeing and farm performance. Yet, while digital technologies are becoming increasingly common in agriculture, many smaller livestock farms still have limited access to tools designed around their specific needs. High costs, complex systems and limited digital literacy can make technological innovation difficult to adopt. This is the challenge that Farmtopia’s Sustainable Innovation Pilot 7 (SIP7) is addressing.
On 29 June 2026, ANAMOB organised a SIP7 Open Day at Ferma Marian in Gârbova de Jos, Romania, bringing together 31 participants, including 23 farmers, farm advisors, Digital Innovation Hubs, policymakers and media representatives. The event focused on a real-time digital system for monitoring and controlling animal welfare on small and medium-sized dairy and meat cattle farms. The Open Day gave farmers an opportunity to explore the technology, ask questions about its practical use and see how digital tools can support animal welfare in real farm conditions.
Bringing digital innovation closer to small farms
Many small and medium-sized Romanian cattle farms still rely primarily on traditional farming practices. One reason is that relatively few digital solutions are specifically designed around the realities of smaller livestock operations. As a result, farmers may have limited opportunities to gain experience with digital tools. When technologies are available, they can also be difficult to operate if they are designed for larger, more technologically advanced farms. SIP7 takes a different approach by developing a solution around the needs of small and medium-sized livestock producers. The event began with presentations on the Farmtopia project and SIP7, followed by discussions about the challenges facing livestock farmers and a Q&A session. The afternoon programme then moved to the farm, where participants could see the ADS in operation.
Simple technology for everyday farm management
The SIP7 solution combines smart animal ear tags, an automated sprinkler system, a mobile application and a dashboard to support real-time animal welfare monitoring and control. For farmers, simplicity is essential. The system is designed to require minimal technical knowledge to install, operate and maintain. The mobile application and dashboard are intuitive, available in the local language and focused on providing clear and actionable information.
This farmer-centred approach was particularly appreciated by participants. Farmers highlighted the low weight of the smart ear tag, while the SIP7 team explained that alternative attachment mechanisms are also being explored to further reduce discomfort for the animals. The automated cooling system was another important part of the demonstration. The sprinklers operate specifically at the feeding front, where the animals eat, while keeping the sleeping area dry. This design supports animal comfort while helping to protect animal health and prevent unnecessary water accumulation or flooding.
Technology when farmers need it most
The practical demonstration took place under challenging weather conditions, with outdoor temperatures reaching 38°C. This meant that participants could see the automated cooling system in conditions where heat stress is a genuine concern for livestock, rather than in a simulated demonstration.
Farmers showed strong interest in the solution and asked numerous questions about the hardware, its daily operation and the mobile application. The discussion focused not only on what the technology can do, but also on whether it is practical for everyday use on smaller farms. Several farmers also raised the possibility of applying the solution to other cattle breeds, including Holstein and Angus, beyond the Băltata Românească breed used in the pilot.
Making digital tools accessible and trusted
For many small and medium-sized farms, the challenge is not necessarily a lack of interest in innovation, but whether the available technology is affordable, understandable and suited to their working environment. Participants highlighted the importance of simple interfaces and tools that do not require advanced technical skills or dedicated IT support. Cost also remains a significant barrier, as many commercially available solutions can require investments that smaller farms cannot easily make.
The discussions also highlighted an emerging issue in agricultural digitalisation: trust and data sharing. Farmers emphasised the importance of clear, consent-based mechanisms for sharing operational farm data with external stakeholders. Representatives of local administrative directorates raised broader questions about the digitalisation of Romanian agriculture and the frameworks needed to support responsible data sharing, while expressing support for SIP7 as an example of accessible innovation reaching smaller farms.
From demonstration to real interest
The Open Day generated active engagement among participants. Farmers discussed the technology, compared it with existing practices and explored how it could fit into their own farm operations. Importantly, interest continued after the event. Two farmers contacted the SIP7 team following the Open Day to ask about the possibility of installing the solution on their own farms. This provides a concrete indication of interest beyond the pilot and demonstrates the value of bringing digital technologies directly to farmers in a real farm environment.
Putting animal welfare at the centre of innovation
Farmers already have extensive practical knowledge of their animals and farms. Digital tools should build on this knowledge rather than replace it. Through SIP7, Farmtopia is demonstrating how real-time monitoring and automated systems can provide additional support for farmers while keeping animal welfare at the centre of the approach.
The Open Day at Ferma Marian showed that digital innovation can be particularly valuable when it is designed around genuine challenges faced by small and medium-sized livestock farms – from extreme temperatures and animal comfort to practical farm management and limited access to affordable technology. The experience also showed that accessibility is an important part of innovation.
When digital tools are simple to use, affordable and designed around farmers’ everyday needs, they can help make digital transformation more realistic for small and medium-sized farms.