Using Computer Vision to Improve Sustainability of Chinese Pig Farmers

Food production in the near future must double to meet the growing demands of a world population estimated to exceed 9 billion by 2050. China is home to >1 billion of those people as well as 50% of the pigs in the world. These pigs will feed a burgeoning global demand for animal protein, but also promise to impact climate change, as animal agriculture is a significant contributor to global warming. Efficiency remains one of the largest drivers in reducing agriculture’s environmental impact. An international team of experts with knowledge and experience in animal welfare, productivity, computer vision, and the Chinese swine industry will apply computer vision technology to study facial features of mother sows. This information is compared to several different biological metrics that reflect the animal’s health, welfare, and productivity in an effort to increase efficiency and improve the sustainability of Chinese pig farmers.