Where Does Your Coffee Come From? Global Mapping to Ensure Sustainable Sourcing
Major industry players are launching a worldwide mapping of coffee plantations to help producers meet new European standards. Using high-resolution satellite images, it is now possible to identify each coffee plant and ensure they do not contribute to deforestation. The mapping project, known as Project Canopée, involves collaboration with Airbus and aims to update the mapping every one or two years. The tool uses artificial intelligence to analyze billions of satellite photos and create a comprehensive map of coffee plantations worldwide.
This initiative is crucial in regions like East Africa with many small coffee farms. The mapping tool will be freely accessible on a spatial platform for producers and governments. It complements the digital traceability system already in place in leading coffee-producing countries such as Ethiopia. This system assigns a unique digital ID to each farmer and records all coffee movements, ensuring compliance with upcoming European regulations on deforestation by 2026 for large producers and 2027 for smaller ones.
The project has been well received by stakeholders in Ethiopia, who see it as a valuable tool for distinguishing between farmland and forest areas. Stakeholders hope it will prevent the exclusion of farmers from the European market due to insufficient data. This mapping technology marks a significant step towards sustainable sourcing in the global coffee industry.
