Swedish agriculture faces a growing need for resilience, efficient use of resources and well-informed decision-making. For Nordic Agro Summit speaker Robin Jansson, CEO and co-founder of Sonicflora, innovation is a way to give growers a better understanding of their plants – directly in the field.
Sonicflora is a Swedish deep-tech company that listens to plants from a distance. Using sensitive microphones, signal processing and AI embedded directly in the sensor, the company can detect plant stress at an early stage, before symptoms become visible. This gives growers the opportunity to act before damage occurs.
In an increasingly uncertain global landscape, Sweden’s ability to produce more while reducing its dependence on imports is becoming ever more important. Agriculture has a crucial role to play. At the same time, solutions are needed that strengthen production without unnecessarily increasing resource use.
Detecting stress before damage becomes visible
Sonicflora aims to help growers listen to their plants. Plants send signals about their condition, and by understanding them better, growers can act earlier, optimise their efforts and ultimately increase yields while using fewer resources.
“We want to help growers understand their plants better, so they can increase yields and use fewer resources,” says Robin Jansson.
The technology captures signals from plants at a distance and turns them into useful information. Rather than identifying problems only once they are already visible, growers can gain earlier decision support.
Physical AI supporting growers in the field
Over the next five to ten years, Robin Jansson believes physical AI will have the greatest impact on agriculture. This means AI embedded in hardware that operates directly in the field and provides real-time decision support – in situations where assessments have previously often relied on experience, observations and spot checks.
Development is moving quickly, but technology should not replace the grower’s expertise. Instead, it should strengthen their judgement by providing better information at the right time. When the grower’s experience is combined with continuous crop data, decisions can become more accurate and resource-efficient.
Curious growers ask the right questions
A common assumption is that farmers are reluctant to embrace change. Robin Jansson’s experience is different. Growers are often curious and willing to try new ideas, but rightly want to understand what a change involves and what value it can bring to their own operation.
This is not resistance to innovation, but a thoughtful approach to decision-making. For technology providers, it means being clear about the benefits, requirements and expected results.
Working with Sonicflora has also shown just how complex agriculture and horticulture are. For someone coming from outside the sector, there is much to learn – from the biological processes of plants to the practical trade-offs made every day in production. At the same time, Robin Jansson highlights how generously growers and researchers share their knowledge.
At Nordic Agro Summit, he hopes visitors will take away one simple but new idea: plants send signals, and we can begin to listen to how they are doing rather than making assumptions. The hope is that more people will become curious about what their own plants are trying to tell them.
