Understanding the needs, obstacles, and expectations of farmers and advisors regarding digital innovation and technology for rangeland livestock systems across Europe (DIGI-Rangeland)

Rangeland livestock systems support rural economies and landscape preservation, yet their future viability is challenged by mounting constraints and uneven digital uptake. The DIGI-Rangeland project investigates how digital technologies and innovations (DTI) can support sustainable livestock farming in rangeland areas. One of its objectives is to characterise needs, barriers and expectations regarding digital tools from farmers and advisors.
Between Nov. 2025 and Feb. 2026, a survey was conducted across countries to capture current practices, access conditions, perceived value, adoption constraints and support needs. Based on more than 1000 answers, we will
present the results, focusing on farmers’ and advisors’ perceptions, and provide a comparative overview of the main findings. Preliminary results show that a great majority of farmers and advisors believe that DTI can help in rangeland livestock management, e.g. tracking, herding, nutrition and health management, predation prevention and pasture management. Around one third of the respondents use DTI regularly, such as EID, GPS tracking, herd flock management software, surveillance cameras. Most respondents are satisfied with the DTI they used, but uptake is mainly hindered by high costs and poor signal or connectivity.