FarmReal
Virtual adoption and monitoring of the daily lives of goats in the Ferraria de São João Smart Village
DescriptionOverview of the initiative and its approach.
FarmReal was a web-based app and mobile app facilitating the creation of virtual social links and promoting the support of traditional goat rearing and goat cheese production by tourists and customers in Ferraria de São João (Portugal). Through FarmReal, users could adopt goats in the village's community herd and become “virtual shepherds", monitoring the behaviour and daily lives of the goats in terms of physical activity, socialization and milk production, while tracking their grazing locations.
TechnologyTechnology used by the initiative.
FarmReal relied on data acquired from the Global Positioning System (GPS), cameras and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) integrated into the collars of the goats. GPS allowed the user to pinpoint the exact location of the adopted goat. Cameras transmited videos via a Wi-Fi router to the Cloud, where the data was processed and stored until it ws sent to the Web server via a 3.5G modem every hour during the day. Every two hours, the collected information was further transmitted to the web server via GPRS. A complementary mobile app acted as the user interface and provided further insight into the goat’s behaviour and daily milk production through photos and videos.
TargetUsers, groups, or communities targeted by the initiative.
Users of the platform were remote Internet users who wanted to invest in local produce and rural livelihoods.
Business modelHow the initiative delivers and sustains its value.
Farmers and users could access the digital platform for free thanks to the non-profit support granted by the Institute Pedro Nunes, the Municipality of Penela, and the European Union's Smart Rural project Contract No. AGRI-2019-409. Farmers individually determined the cost of adopting a goat, and so the price varied. In August 2022, it costed EUR 5 to adopt a goat for a month, or EUR 30 for 6 months.
ImpactThe observed or intended effects of the initiative.
Besides the recreational and educational aspects of the project, the users were contributing to the sustainability of the community herd, and thus to the revitalization of dairy goat production based on the region’s traditional agro-forest grazing system. FarmReal attracted investments into rural communities and preserves the traditional ways agricultural products are produced.
PartnersOrganizations and stakeholders involved in the initiative.
European network of Living Labs; Institute Pedro Nunes; European Commission
Four BettersThe FAO Four Betters supported by the initiative.
Better production
Better life
