Coffee Canopy Partnership Aims to Create the World’s First Comprehensive, Openly Accessible Map of Global Coffee Production – CoffeeTalk

The Coffee Canopy Partnership, launched by JDE Peet’s, aims to enhance the identification and remediation of deforestation linked to coffee production. Collaborating with significant players in the coffee industry such as Louis Dreyfus Company, Sucden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Touton, Sucafina, and Tchibo, this initiative seeks to create the world’s first comprehensive and openly accessible map of global coffee production. The project employs satellite technology from Airbus for mapping coffee farms, identifying areas of forest loss, and supporting restoration efforts while safeguarding the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

The initiative begins with a pilot phase in East Africa, covering countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, encompassing a vast area of 1.2 million square kilometers of coffee-growing landscapes. It is planned to expand to all coffee-growing regions worldwide by 2027 through broader investment from the industry and institutions. Laurent Sagarra, the VP of engagement at JDE Peet’s, emphasized that this initiative transcends fragmented company-led efforts by fostering landscape-scale collaboration. He clarified that it is distinct from conventional certification schemes, aiming instead to bolster collective actions for maintaining vibrant forests and mitigating coffee-driven deforestation risks over time.

Additionally, the partnership is supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and has the endorsement of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The initiative also addresses mapping concerns associated with the European Union Deforestation Regulation, which prohibits coffee produced on lands classified as forest after December 2020 from entering EU markets. The Partnership recognizes that inaccurate land classifications could hinder smallholder farmers, particularly those employing shade-grown and agroforestry methods, from accessing crucial export markets.

To mitigate these issues, the project will produce two key datasets: a baseline map for 2020-2021 reflecting the extent of coffee cultivation, and a subsequent map for 2024-2025 that will indicate potential new production areas and changes in forest status since 2020. These maps are set to contribute to an open geospatial platform designed to aid farmers, governments, and the wider coffee sector in sustainability planning and forest protection.

Read More @ FoodBev