Baltic Sea Action Group

Leveraging digitalisation to combat climate change

Combining the potential of digitalisation and data with regenerative farming promotes sustainable food production, protects water bodies, and preserves biodiversity, offering hope in the fight against climate change.

CHALLENGE

Can data and user-centred design enhance environmental well-being?

The Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is a non-profit foundation aiming to restore the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea. Since 2020, Gofore has been part of BSAG’s Carbon Action network, seeking ways to accelerate and scientifically verify carbon sequestration from the atmosphere into farmland.

“Food production has significant environmental impacts. How fields are managed and treated can influence carbon sequestration and nutrient loading in water bodies,” says Jenni Jääskeläinen, Project Manager in Regenerative Agriculture at BSAG.

The goal of the collaboration between Gofore and BSAG is to develop regenerative farming using modern data processing and user-centred design methods. Regenerative farming is a holistic approach that revitalises the entire ecosystem.

Food production has significant environmental impacts. How fields are managed and treated can influence carbon sequestration and nutrient loading in water bodies.

Jenni Jääskeläinen / Project Manager in Regenerative Agriculture, BSAG

SOLUTION

Long-term collaboration culminates in application development

Gofore and BSAG’s collaboration began with a Baltic Sea commitment. Since then, Gofore has provided its expertise and efforts to BSAG both pro bono and through project funding. This has included assisting with system choices, designing data architecture and data-sharing ecosystems, and conducting user research with farmers.

The collaboration’s outcome materialised in a Proof of Concept (PoC) application developed to facilitate the implementation of regenerative farming. The application guides farmers in sensory assessments of soil structure and tracks how results evolve with regenerative farming practices. It motivates farmers to continue these practices and provides data to support decision-making.

“Farmers, the application’s users, played a significant role right from the start of the design process. In a joint workshop, we defined the primary regenerative farming actions the application could support. Farmers then influenced the user interface design and participated in the development phase by testing and providing feedback on various versions,” says Jenni Valorinta, Gofore’s Service Designer.

Application view

The PoC version of the application was made available to regenerative farming pioneers in the autumn of 2024. Using Google Firebase, it was launched cost-effectively for both iOS and Android operating systems.

Jenni Jääskeläinen, BSAG

OUTCOME

Steps towards sustainable food production and climate change mitigation

The regenerative farming application is a prime example of Gofore and BSAG’s collaboration, where seemingly small actions interconnect to create a significant impact. The application is a concrete step towards systematically collected data, replacing guesswork, improving soil health, and helping mitigate climate change while securing future food production.

“It’s much more motivating for farmers to work when they can directly see they are part of the solution,” Jääskeläinen from BSAG notes.

The diverse collaboration with BSAG supports Gofore’s mission to make the world a better place. Next, the goal is to explore how the continuously generated data within the food system can be better utilised. Additionally, the developed application can serve as a foundation for creating a comprehensive tool for regenerative farming.

“Open data in agriculture is multifaceted. It would be beneficial for information to flow smoothly between different actors, but farm-specific data is central to farmers’ operations. Solutions must ensure that farmers retain ownership and rights to their data, allowing them to share and benefit from it if they choose to,” Valorinta says.

“It would be great if we could eventually create an application that considers environmental impacts, where farmers can centralise all planning, management, and information gathering and sharing,” Jääskeläinen envisions.

Project highlights

Challenge

Gofore helps the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) develop regenerative farming using modern data processing and service design methods. The goal is to create tools that facilitate the implementation of regenerative farming and verify its environmental benefits.

Solution

Since its Baltic Sea commitment in 2020, Gofore has provided its expertise to BSAG both pro bono and through project funding. The collaboration has included assisting with system choices, designing data architecture and data-sharing ecosystems, and conducting user research. The collaboration’s outcome has materialised in an application that facilitates the implementation of regenerative farming.

Outcome

Gofore and BSAG’s collaboration is part of a continuum where each action contributes to making the world a better place for people and the environment. For example, the regenerative farming application is a visible step towards systematically collecting data that replaces guesswork, improves soil health, and helps mitigate climate change while securing future food production.

Project in numbers

15 farmers involved in the application development
6 Goforeans participated in the application project
3 workshops held for farmers related to the application

EXPERTISE

The skills and competences utilised in the project

Service design
Software Development
Research and Development
UX and UI Design
System Development and Integration
Data Architecture
Accessibility

Get in touch!

Ville Suvanto

Digital Society

ville.suvanto@gofore.com

+358 40 765 6158

You might also be interested in these success stories

DEUTSCHE BAHN AG