Nanotechnology in Animal and Microenvironment Management

Farm management, particularly the microenvironment around animals is a key to harvest the optimum production potential and to maintain the welfare also. The management cost in any livestock farm is one of the major recurring costs which needs to be controlled for sustainable farming system. Nanotechnology-based applications can be used for monitoring the animals, maintaining biosecurity, providing comfortable microenvironment, curtailing the cost by automation and reducing drudgery. Application of AI-based solutions using various nanosensors and nano-material-based housing systems can help in maintaining the microenvironment of an animal farm, similarly nanoparticle-based products facilitate enhanced biosecurity and productivity of animals. Nanosensor-based machines can also detect pollutants/contaminants and remove the biological wastes from farm in a timely manner that will reduce the human interventions and cost associated with it besides minimizing the chance of infections. All these inputs will ultimately keep the animals in a comfortable condition and within its physiological limit, hence enhance the production and sustainability of the farm. The present chapter will discuss all these potential applications of nanomaterials in the effective management of microenvironment in animal farms.