Development of software for the automation of pedigree accounting in cattle breeding.

Abstract

The digitalisation of pedigree accounting in the dairy cattle sector of the Kyrgyz Republic is crucial for improving animal husbandry efficiency and meeting increasing demands for food security and sustainable rural development. The main aim of the study was the development and piloting of software to automate the processes of identification, pedigree analysis, productivity and veterinary control of cattle. The methodology of the work included an analysis of existing solutions, the collection of functional requirements, the design of the database architecture and user interface, as well as the pilot implementation of the system in a real farm. The database structure implemented eight functional tables linked through cascading foreign keys, ensuring the logical integrity of information and the automatic construction of pedigrees. The system interface is adapted to conditions of limited digital infrastructure and supports a multilingual environment, an offline mode and simple visual navigation. During the on-farm pilot study, a reduction in the time to register an animal by more than four times and a decrease in the number of errors were recorded. The system received positive user evaluations on the criteria of convenience, accessibility and accuracy. In addition, compatibility with International Committee for Animal Recording standards is ensured, which opens opportunities for international integration. The developed solution demonstrates resilience when scaling and can be adapted to other regions with similar infrastructure. The paper also provides a comparison with foreign and regional solutions, confirming the advantages of localisation, simplicity and compliance with national requirements. The study highlights the high practical significance of the proposed solution, offering a foundation for further scaling, including within national digitalisation programmes for agriculture.