OptiBarn is a transnational research project targeting to develop region-specific, sustainable adaptation strategies for animal housing, focusing on an optimized climatization of naturally ventilated buildings for dairy farms. For the kickoff meeting the research partners meet in Potsdam.

Climate change scenarios predict an increase in temperature and significant changes in the air humidity in large areas in Europe. Without adaptation strategies, climate change will lead to a suboptimal stable climate and thereby affect animal welfare and performance. Free ventilated barns will be particularly affected by climate change: Extremes and variabilities in the outdoor climate are directly reflected in the indoor environment.

Indoor climate can be influenced by technical and management measures. OptiBarn will develop innovative solutions under practical conditions to improve animal welfare.

Indictors for an optimization under climate change will be developed by barn-specific assessment of the influence of outdoor climate on the indoor conditions, region-specific risk analysis on how often extreme weather situations will occur, monitored animal-individual stress responses to the indoor conditions, as well as engineering solutions. Physical and numeric modeling of the flows inside barns depending on outdoor climatic conditions, building designs and regulatory mechanisms support the assessment of adaption options and risk factors. Adaptive engineering solutions, crucial for animal welfare, will be developed, validated and communicated to stakeholders.  

Practical orientation is crucial: Key stakeholders and business partners are integrated into the project work. The needs of the practice can directly be incorporated into the project and results will be disseminated and implemented directly.

The transnational project "Optimized animal specific barn climatization facing temperature rise and increased climate variability (OptiBarn)" is funded in the framework of the FACCE ERA-NET+ Initiative „Climate Smart Agriculture“ by BMBF and BMEL and supported by the project agency BLE.

Partner:

Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim e. V. (Coordination);  
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (D);
Aarhus University (DK);  
Agricultural Research Organisation of Israel, The Volcani Centre (IL); 
Basque Centre For Climate Change (E); 
Universitat Politècnica de València (E); 
National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, University of Southern Queensland (AUS);  

Danish Exergy Technology A/S DXT (DK); 
PLF Agritech EU Ltd (GB); 
Agrotel GmbH (D); 
Bauförderung Landwirtschaft e.V. BFL (D); 
Sächsische Landesanstalt für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie - LfULG (D); 
Wolf System GmbH (A); 
Afimilk Ltd. (IL)

Contact:
Dr. Sabrina Hempel (ATB)