Intelligent Livestock Waste Sensing & Management: Architecture and Challenges in the Po Valley

Intensive livestock production, notably in the Po Valley (Italy), poses significant environmental challenges due to the high concentration of nitrate-rich effluents. These effluents, generated by millions of animals, are directly disposed of onto fertile soil as a common irrigation technique. Unfortunately, this leads to widespread contamination, compromising essential resources like water, soil, and air. This paper focuses on analyzing and modeling the main phases associated with livestock waste management and designing and prototyping an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled architecture for mission management and facilitating real-time monitoring of operations. The possibility to build a comprehensive representation of involved processes and data allows for filling a crucial gap for scientific, commercial, and policy purposes by enabling precise reporting to control agencies and supporting sustainable interventions to mitigate environmental impact.