Cultivating a Forest-Positive Coffee Supply Chain

The world’s forests play a vital role in regulating climate, protecting biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods. Yet, these essential ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure from agricultural expansion, climate change and other factors. New regulatory measures, such as EUDR, aim to safeguard forests by curbing land conversion and ecosystem degradation. 

Through our IMPACT Program, we’re addressing deforestation while also creating long-term solutions that strengthen both forests and coffee farming. As we prepare for EUDR, we’re working with farmers, roasters and other partners to go beyond deforestation monitoring by developing data-driven solutions that foster climate resilience and biodiversity while keeping forests intact. 

Monitoring & Mitigating Deforestation 

First announced in 2022, EUDR sets out rules regarding the import of seven commodities – including coffee – into the EU. EUDR was originally due to come into effect on December 30, 2024, but the timeline for its enforcement has been extended. When implemented, it will require all coffee imported into the EU to be traceable to farms where no deforestation has taken place after 2020. 

Sucafina has been tracking deforestation risk in our supply chain for several years – we’ve already mapped over 325,000 farms. We’ve also developed a process to ensure that all coffee verified through our IMPACT Program is EUDR compliant. 

The first step is collecting geolocation data for each farm through ‘plot mapping’, which records GPS points and/or exact farm borders. "Accurate data is the foundation of effective deforestation monitoring," says Lydia Letaru, GIS Data Analyst at Sucafina. "We carefully validate and refine geolocation data to ensure every farm is mapped correctly. This level of precision allows us to provide reliable insights and support farmers in maintaining sustainable land use.” 

We use Trade in Space to track tree cover changes over the past two decades using satellite imagery. The digital tool highlights tree loss incidence and provides alerts of possible deforestation near protected forest areas.  

Not all tree-cover-loss alerts mean deforestation has taken place. “That’s why it’s important to carry out ground-truthing to uncover the reason for tree cover losses,” Lydia explains. Trees might have been lost due to a natural hazard, like a wildfire, for example, or might reflect that a farmer has renovated their coffee trees, meaning that the farm is still compliant.  

When needed, we support remediation efforts. This can include contributing to reforesting efforts and supporting farmers with training on sustainable land use and initiatives to boost productivity on their land without encroaching into forest areas. 

By combining technology with on-the-ground expertise, we can ensure that our supply chain remains compliant, while working alongside farmers to maintain productive, sustainable farms. 

Scaling Agroforestry for Sustainable Coffee 

Preventing deforestation is only part of the solution. Through IMPACT, we’re also delivering forest-positive initiatives, such as agroforestry, which integrates trees into farms and agricultural systems. Effective agroforestry programs can enhance and protect soil health, restore biodiversity and provide shelter for crops. Shade and fruit trees, such as avocados and bananas, not only benefit coffee crops and the environment but also help to diversify farmers’ income. 

Agroforestry also aligns with two other IMPACT Goal areas: regenerative agriculture and carbon emissions. Since trees sequester carbon, agroforestry initiatives contribute to reducing coffee’s carbon footprint. This means that many of Sucafina’s agroforestry projects also support our efforts to promote regenerative agriculture and reduce carbon emissions. 

Take, for example, the projects we’ve been working on since 2022 with a key roaster partner in Kenya, Rwanda and Vietnam. Across these projects, we aim to plant more than 600,000 trees in the next five years and equip nearly 40,000 farmers with the resources and knowledge to integrate fruit and shade tree planting on their farms. 

We’re excited by the progress we’ve made so far and by continuing to work closely with our partners, we can drive even more measurable progress towards a coffee supply chain that supports both forests and farmers for the long term. 

Want to learn more about how IMPACT can help your business to meet deforestation requirements while supporting sustainable coffee farming? Or are you interested in implementing a project within your supply chain with us? Reach out to your trader today.