Smart Agricultural Technologies, Sustainable Livestock Production and Environmental Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of urbanization and rural labor shortages, modern agriculture must evolve to meet the challenges of sustainable food production. This Special Issue explores the intersection of smart agricultural technologies, sustainable livestock production, and environmental sustainability, focusing on how scientific advancements can foster productive and eco-friendly agricultural systems.

The emergence of precision agriculture technologies—including smart farms, intelligent monitoring systems, and advanced harvesting robots—offers innovative solutions to traditional agricultural pressures. However, current precision agriculture practices are constrained by limited sensor data and inadequate computational models. To achieve the full potential of precision agriculture, it is essential to develop advanced sensors that can acquire extensive, multi-source agricultural data. This data will inform robust computational and predictive models for informed decision-making and efficient agricultural operations.

Moreover, sustainable livestock production and management aim to enhance forage feeding as a critical component of animal nutrition. This approach emphasizes aligning the nutritional requirements of livestock with locally adapted feed resources, thereby improving feed efficiency, animal health, and product quality while reducing dependence on external inputs. Sustainable management of forage crops not only bolsters soil fertility and biodiversity but also enhances resilience to climate change through improved carbon sequestration and reduced nutrient losses.

We invite the contribution of manuscripts addressing topics which include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Application of digital technologies for sustainable smart agriculture.
2. Management of forage crops for high-quality feed that enhances animal health and productivity while enriching the soil.
3. Development of alternative feeds to reduce reliance on traditional crops.
4. Implementation of precision feeding systems that minimize waste and pollution.
5. Strategies to lower greenhouse gas emissions from livestock through better nutrition and feed additives.
6. Innovations for recycling agricultural by-products and food waste into valuable animal feed.
7. Approaches to increase the long-term resilience and sustainability of agricultural practices amid climate change.

Prof. Dr. Goran Kiš
Dr. Zhouzhou Zheng
Dr. Zhencao Wu
Dr. Shan Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.