In 2019, the UN FAO reported that the global demand for livestock products was anticipated to double by 2050, with the majority deriving from developing countries. To meet this growing demand, the livestock farming sector must innovate to boost production, despite challenges in optimizing production sustainably without causing irreparable environmental damage or exceeding global resources.

The application of the IoT and associated digital technologies to livestock management is a key enabler to achieve both productivity and sustainability. IoT devices assist precision livestock farming (PLF) by monitoring and collecting information for taking actions in a timely, precise manner for individual animals, herds, or flocks as needed. Farmers adopting IoT applications can significantly improve the way they manage their livestock.

A face-to-face workshop on IoT Applications in Livestock Management was implemented by the Thailand Productivity Institute (FTPI) in Bangkok, 20–23 February. Three resource persons from Belgium, Japan, and Thailand shared recent IoT advances in the livestock sector with case studies of poultry, cattle, pig, and aquaculture operations. Twenty-one participants from 15 APO members attended and had the opportunity to visit local poultry and fish farms to observe the latest commercial applications of IoT technologies. They also discussed plans to adopt and implement PLF in member economies, especially by small independent farmers.