Digital Shepherds Against Wildfires

Francisco José Castillo Martínez (49 years old) has two jobs: one in person as a technical architect and another he manages remotely (you could say telecommuting) as a partner, along with his two brothers, of a livestock farm in the Sierra de Segura, in Jaén. While finalizing some architectural projects in his office, he keeps an eye on the 160 goats grazing several kilometers from his home. The installation of smart collars with geolocation allows Francisco José and his brothers (who also have other jobs) to monitor their goats from a distance. “It’s not that we neglect the livestock, but it does save us from having to spend 15 hours with them in the field, and the goats also become allies against wildfires,” comments this digital shepherd from Jaén.

In the livestock farm of the Castillo Martínez brothers, there is no family tradition. It was three years ago when they decided to add value and, above all, eliminate risks in the hills of this region in Jaén, which is part of the largest natural park in Spain and, therefore, one of the areas that every year faces a higher risk of wildfire due to its extensive forest mass. This year, their farm, named “Las viudas alegres,” located between the municipalities of Torres de Albanchez and Benatae, is the epicenter of a pyro-silvopastoral project that these part-time ranchers promote alongside a collaborative group that includes the University of Jaén, the Consule group, and the Fundación Común del Segura. “It’s an initiative with new applications and utilities of devices to enhance livestock products, protect the environment, and contribute to wildfire prevention,” indicates one of the researchers, agronomist Rafael López Nieto.

Silvopastoralism is a type of extensive livestock farming where grazing is integrated with forestry, a science aimed at the formation, conservation, and cultivation of forests, integrating tree and shrub vegetation. Its main goal is fire prevention through extensive livestock farming, covering firebreak areas and High-Risk Fire Zones (ZAR) as the main grazing areas.

But a project where animals are not limited to just being fire-fighting sheep or goats. Currently, about twenty goats are already wearing smart collars with geolocation that gives ranchers the ability to manage extensive livestock from a distance using an app through the establishment of virtual fences. On one side, the smart collars, which collect geospatial and auxiliary information and send it over the network to data collection systems, allow determining their position via GPS systems and measure the physiological parameters of the animal through sensors. Some of these collars include motion sensors such as accelerometers to detect behavioral patterns of the goats, even to the point of knowing when they are sick or simply in need of food. These collars are complemented by virtual fencing, a tool that allows defining grazing areas from an app. “For this purpose, the collars we use execute stimuli that the animal learns to associate with the fencing, learning to turn back when they hear a beep,” notes Francisco José Castillo, who just a week ago was able to verify the advantages of this project by being immediately alerted to a forest fire on his property, which, thanks to its early detection, was contained.

The ranchers from Jaén have opted in this project to introduce the Andalusian white goat, a breed endangered in Andalucía, which they have readily transformed into the stars of this grazing project. “This type of ruminant eats all the vegetation in the area, not just the grass that sheep eat,” Castillo explains. However, in a second phase, they do not rule out installing these smart collars on sheep and even on cattle.

At the other end of the province of Jaén, in Sierra Sur, Lourdes Perona López, a 35-year-old agronomist, has also been a pioneer in applying technology in the livestock sector. This livestock farmer and mother of two daughters, who is breaking barriers in a heavily male-dominated profession, returned to her home after graduating and now manages a flock of about 400 sheep in an extensive and organic regime at the farm El Hoyo, in Valdepeñas de Jaén (3,500 inhabitants). “In 2022, I started looking for digital solutions to optimize my work in the field, I bought several GPS collars and an amplifying antenna, and shortly afterward I obtained a drone pilot certification and acquired a drone,” explains this young farmer, who was recently awarded the Rural World Award of Jaén.

“The collars not only provide me with information on the geolocation of the flock, but they also send me alerts in case something happens, such as if something is bothering them, an increase or decrease in temperature, which could indicate a health problem in the animal wearing the collar, and I can also see from the app the areas where the sheep spend the most time (possible overexploitation of pasture) and the areas they avoid (unused zones) and take measures.”

Thanks to the drone, equipped with a high-definition camera, she can monitor large areas of her farm without having to walk or drive, and can check fences or locate lost animals. “It’s not about replacing grazing, but rather making it much more efficient—innovating without losing tradition,” concludes Lourdes Perona, who has been awarded a scholarship this year from the PepsiCo Foundation for rural entrepreneurship.

For agronomist Rafael López, silvopastoralism “has demonstrated its potential to revitalize rural areas, helping to prevent depopulation and ensuring generational replacement through the digitalization of grazing, allowing the development of a viable livestock sector based on environmental sustainability, economic stability, and its role in wildfire prevention.”

In the case of the Sierra de Segura project, it is a collaborative group that is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADER).