GreenGrass aims to realign agricultural grassland use in Central Europe by developing and introducing innovative grazing systems with the help of new key technologies (virtual herding and remote sensing). In Central Europe, grassland forms the matrix for the provision of important ecosystem services in the agricultural landscape. A significant proportion of the biological diversity in the agricultural landscape has evolved over many centuries in co-evolution with grazing livestock. Modern agricultural animal husbandry systems no longer use grazing. The high yields demanded of animals are currently difficult to achieve with grazing alone. GreenGrass is initiating a trend reversal here and bringing cows back into the landscape.

Innovative technologies guide the animals across pastureland and through the landscape (virtual herding). Remote sensing technologies provide high-resolution spatial and temporal information on feed quantity and quality, pasture accessibility, and existing or newly created habitats within the pastureland that are worthy of protection. An innovative multi-level information system combines existing information with remote sensing data, analyses it in real time and develops routines for the spatial and temporal control of the animals. This optimises the feed supply on the pasture and produces high-quality premium products (quality meat and milk). At the same time, public goods such as important habitat structures in the agricultural landscape, e.g. wet depressions with species-rich vegetation, areas with meadow bird nests, islands of old grass for butterflies and grasshoppers, can be specifically protected and recreated. These benefits of the innovative production system are reliably demonstrated to consumers and authorities via the transparent, interactive, multi-level information system. Farmers can market their high-quality products appropriately and are rewarded appropriately for providing public goods.

In the long term, GreenGrass will create a sustainable, animal-friendly and fair production system for pasture farming, which, with the development and adaptation of smart farming technologies, will represent a completely new information environment for farmers, consumers and authorities alike. In the long term, herd managers will be able to control the animals properly and efficiently from their desks, so to speak, and contribute to harmonising the conflicting goals of agricultural production and ecological sustainability.