Agrihub Sweden - Client case: Goati

Client case Svarta Räven

Client profile

Svarta Räven is a Swedish start-up specializing in innovation in agriculture. Their focus is on animal care and well-being. The company's business idea is the development of an intelligent monitoring system for the day-to-day supervision of animals. The system improves and simplifies the farmer´s task of watching his flock, while at the same time enhancing the health of grazing animals. Digital technology efficiently ensures that animals are always healthy and that the animals are safe in the pasture.

Client needs

Svarta Räven needed access to research expertise in the behavior and health of grazing animals. In a first step, it was necessary to determine what parameters were important to measure. These parameters then needed to be integrated into the digital solution. Svarta Räven weer in need of an increased understanding of how a sensor-based monitoring system can measure and follow up these parameters. This was necessary to ensure that the system would register and provide alerts if any of the animals were in danger or at risk of ill health.

In a second step, Svarta Räven needed support to find correlations between their digitalised measurements and the animal´s actual behavior.

Svarta Räven also needed financial resources to develop and test a prototype of their planned monitoring system.

Provided solution

Through the innovation platform SmartAgri the partners Agroväst, RISE, Science Park Skövde and SLU were able to jointly help Svarta Räven further.

Researchers at SLU helped out to identify what and how they would perform their measurements in practice. Tests to record abnormal behaviour and discern movement patterns are planned during the grazing season 2022 at SLU Götala beef and lamb research. The tests will be carried out to validate the system and ensure that it measures and alarms when there are indications of risks to the health of the grazing animals.

Agroväst and SLU helped the company to further develop their innovation and write an application to the European Agricultural Fund. Funding of almost SEK 8 million was granted to develop and test the monitoring system. In order to relieve the company both in terms of liquidity and administration, SLU took on the role of project owner, while Agroväst was responsible for the project's administration.

Read more on Svarta Räven´s home page (under construction).

Contact person: Anna Hessle, SLU.