Heat stress in animals affects productivity, health, and reproduction, with particularly pronounced effects in dairy cows. Identifying heat stress requires understanding both physiological and environmental indicators, such as increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and rectal temperature, which reflect the animal’s thermal condition within its environment. Thermoregulation in cows involves behavioral and physiological adjustments to maintain homeothermy, aiming to stabilize their internal thermal state. To assess the thermal condition of animals, machine learning models have been developed, leveraging both environmental and physiological indicators for more accurate stress detection. Among the various indices of thermal environment, the Temperature and Humidity Index (THI) is the most widely used. Cooling strategies for animals and their environments are essential to mitigate the effects of heat stress. One effective approach involves the use of evaporative adiabatic cooling combined with forced ventilation systems in feeding alleys and pre-milking holding areas. This method enhances evaporative exchanges and facilitates heat dissipation between the animal and its surroundings, thereby alleviating heat stress and improving both the welfare and productivity of dairy cows.

The areas on the roofs of animal production facilities present great potential for generating solar energy. However, the impact that the addition of new material on the roof can generate on the installation’s thermal environment is still poorly studied. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of the application of photovoltaic panels in the roofs of prototypes, in reduced-scale aviaries, on the thermal environment, and on the animal comfort condition inside the prototypes. For this, six prototypes of aviaries on a reduced 1:5 scale are used. They are equipped with three types of tiles (ceramic, fiber-cement, and metal), with and without a photovoltaic panel. The effect of applying the photovoltaic panel is verified by evaluating the air temperature, the surface temperature of the roofs, the temperature and humidity index (THI), the black globe humidity index (BGHI), and the radiation heat load (RHL). The results show that applying the photovoltaic panel on the roof, regardless of the type of tile, is efficient in reducing the air temperature by about 0.4 °C, the BGHI by about 0.7, and the RHL about 4 W/m². As for THI, there is only a 4.8 reduction in fiber-cement roofs.

O presente estudo objetiva analisar a literatura relacionada à sustentabilidade na agricultura familiar e a aplicação em políticas públicas brasileiras. Para isso, foi realizada uma análise de artigos relacionados ao tema, destacando-se os principais tópicos, além de dados secundários do Governo Federal. Por meio das informações coletadas, observou-se a existência de políticas públicas voltadas para a alimentação (escolar e da população) e comercialização, evidenciando-se canais institucionais para o escoamento dos alimentos produzidos por estes. A sustentabilidade nesses sistemas produtivos também denota ser uma característica diferenciadora, considerando os impactos positivos ao ambiente, pelo reaproveitamento de resíduos visando à fertilidade do solo e as possibilidades criadas em termos de geração de renda para as famílias agricultoras.

The management of thermal environments in animal production facilities presents significant challenges, requiring continuous adjustments to meet animals’ physiological needs. This study evaluated the effects of green roofs on the thermal environment and comfort indices in small-scale poultry house prototypes, comparing facilities with and without green roof installations. The research tested various roof types (ceramic, fiber cement, and metal) combined with emerald grass (Zoysia japonica) green roof systems. Parameters measured included air temperature, relative humidity, internal roof surface temperature, Temperature and Humidity Index (THI), Black Globe Humidity Index (BGHI), Human Comfort Index (HCI), and Thermal Radiation Load (TRL) under both open and closed conditions. Results showed that green roofs reduced indoor air temperature by up to 2.4 °C in open prototypes and 10.6 °C in closed prototypes during peak heat periods. In combinations using green roofs with fiber cement tiles, internal roof surface temperature decreased by 24.0 °C in open prototypes and 27.0 °C in closed configurations. The implementation of green roofs resulted in THI reductions of 2.3 and 8.1 units in open and closed prototypes, respectively, BGHI decreases of 2.8 and 11.3 units, and TRL reductions of 21.0 W/m² and 74.0 W/m². HCI measurements confirmed improved thermal comfort conditions with green roof installations in both settings. This study concludes that green roofs effectively enhance the thermal environment by reducing bioclimatic indices during hot periods while maintaining stable conditions during cooler weather, thereby improving overall thermal comfort in animal facilities.

The thermal environment in livestock buildings affects the productive and reproductive performance of animals. Therefore, monitoring thermal environment variables is necessary. This study reviewed the applicability of the electronic device ESP8266 module to monitoring animal production. The ESP8266 module is a microcontroller that enables the collection, storage and transmission of data that influence livestock production. The data collected are transferred to cloud computing systems allowing the development of supervisory systems that can be accessed by smartphones, tablets or computers. With this type of microprocessor, it is possible to develop autonomous management systems for animal production. Connected devices using the internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain will facilitate the analysis of data from the production chain and the appropriate decision-making. Managers of livestock production systems will be in charge of following up and monitoring the processes.

Heat stress is one of the main factors limiting the efficiency and sustainability of dairy production in tropical and subtropical regions, impairing animal welfare, as well as productive and reproductive performance. Among mitigation technologies, evaporative cooling stands out as a widely adopted strategy in intensive production systems. However, there are still no consolidated metrics capable of quantifying, in a comparative and regionalized manner, the theoretical potential for using this technique under different climatic conditions. In this context, the objective of this study was to develop an innovative modeling-based metric to estimate the potential for evaporative cooling based on thermal environment indices and heat transfer principles. Sixteen-year time series of hourly meteorological data from three Brazilian municipalities located in major dairy-producing regions [Uberlândia (MG), Luziânia (GO), and Uruguaiana (RS)], encompassing representative tropical and subtropical conditions, were used to calculate the Temperature–Humidity Index (THI) and to develop the metric termed Radiant Heat Load Reduction under Evaporative Cooling (ΔRHL). Based on the results obtained, THI values were found to frequently exceed the thermal comfort thresholds between September and April, corresponding to the warmest period of the year in Brazil. However, the relationship between the intensity of heat stress and the theoretical potential for evaporative cooling varied significantly among the locations, indicating that the potential efficiency of evaporative cooling is strongly dependent on regional climatic conditions and is more consistent in subtropical environments. It is concluded that the proposed metric constitutes an innovative tool for the spatial and temporal quantification of the potential efficiency of evaporative cooling, with applicability in decision support and in the planning of thermal mitigation strategies in intensive dairy production systems.