
Leveraging data to improve food systems
Using data as a decision-making tool
Technology has made it possible to collect infinite amounts of data on a continuous, real-time basis. To make the most of these capabilities, NCLE researchers are developing models and simulations that make it easier to interpret data and put it to work for better on-farm decisions and policy development. This work supports a deeper understanding of how farming practices and climate changes affect sustainability – from a system-wide perspective right down to specific commodities, landscapes and farm types.
Through validation research, data modellers also test the reliability of research findings and data-driven tools. In this way, stakeholders are able to leverage more value from research investments – past, present and future.
Data and modelling research areas
- Life-cycle analysis of environmental impacts
- Life-cycle assessments of mitigation strategies
- Modelling to predict impact of changing conditions and practices
- Modelling to determine landscape impact at different production scales
- Modelling to develop livestock-centred waste reduction strategies for the collective food production system
- Smarter farm and barn management using digital tools for precision livestock farming
Asking the big questions, seeing the big picture
Shedding new light on how beef cattle influence watershed nutrient dynamics
Researchers have amassed extensive data about watersheds across Canada, from soil type and microtopography to flora and fauna. But until recently, watershed data hadn’t been integrated with research findings about beef cattle operations – at least not in a comprehensive, scalable way.
Imagine how valuable all of this data would be if combined into reliable, science-backed models that could show the regional influence of cattle on watersheds in different situations. Our understanding of the complex interactions between cattle, soil, water and nutrients would be elevated to a whole new level.
Beefing up our understanding of biodiversity
Imagine trying to count and map a thousand different species of mammals, birds and plants, lichens, mosses and soil mites, and using this information to explore the benefits and impacts of the beef industry.
It might seem impractical, if not impossible. But now this quantitative snapshot of land use practices and biodiversity has been produced through a collaboration of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).
Meaningful data builds trust, understanding and awareness
When a group of researchers set out to benchmark the environmental impact of Canadian beef, they never dreamed their findings would appear in a national ad campaign for one of the nation's biggest restaurant chains.
But that's what happened in 2018, after the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, (NCLE), along with colleagues from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, published the first science-based studies in Canada to calculate the environmental footprint of cattle on a national scale. The analyses provided researchers, consumers and food companies with a reliable, big-picture view of how Canada’s beef sector interacts with soil, water and air – and the response showed just how hungry Canadians are for facts they can trust and share.