Is deforestation monitoring satellite really the solution to EUDR regulations?

The new EUDR regulations issue a complete and strict ban on all products such as coffee, cocoa, etc. in the EU region unless they meet criteria such as not deforesting and being produced. in accordance with the relevant laws of the manufacturing country and have a fully qualified declaration license. However, achieving these criteria is relatively difficult. Because most agricultural products such as coffee are often grown in forest areas by small-scale farmers. The ability to execute operations in a short period of time is very difficult.

Furthermore, the level of “zero deforestation” standards mentioned in the regulation covers all activities related to product production. This requires compliance, monitoring and control of a long chain from production to supply. Not to mention the human resources and budget for enforcement, completing permits to prove non-deforestation standards also takes a lot of effort, time and is difficult to implement.

Therefore, experts say that the new law may cause obstacles for the governments of coffee-producing countries and disadvantage small-scale farmers. The obvious risk associated with EUDR lies in the lack of thorough assessment of its impact on small producers before its implementation. While clear legal responsibility for compliance lies with traders, roasters and retailers within the EU, there remains significant risk of industry actors shifting costs, obligations and burdens administration to small-scale farmers to access the European coffee market.

To comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), multinational green coffee trading company Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) used Satelligence’s satellite-based monitoring tool. The device is applied to NKG’s entire green coffee supply chain in Honduras and Uganda to monitor the deforestation level of each product. Then, via satellite, monitors can observe and update the situation in real time on deforestation in and around millions of farms that supply coffee to NKG exporters. The resulting map layers can be used to improve the accuracy of deforestation mitigation data without the need for costly ground surveys. From there, producers and businesses can clearly know the deforestation status of the farm and make appropriate adjustments.

Coffee-focused social impact startup Carble also partnered with satellite solutions provider Satelligence to motivate coffee farmers to maintain forests. Specifically, Satelligence will apply its algorithms to updated satellite data to calculate the amount of carbon stored in the existing biomass of agroforestry farms. Participating coffee buyers can then include these verified emissions reductions in their non-financial accounting information, while also providing premiums to farmers based on the calculations on-farm carbon storage.

According to NKG company’s assessment, the use of satellites to monitor deforestation will be consistent with the sustainability campaign. It can support the measurement of deforestation risks in full detail without spending too much resources on long-term surveys. This can contribute to promoting smallholders to engage in sustainable transition and expand into global markets. However, the feasibility of these devices in helping to meet the standards of the EUDR regulation still needs to be monitored, and verified with many companies and experts. If you want to learn more, follow XLIII Coffee’s Journal channel to update new news.

Information collected from:

– dailycoffeenews

– eur-lex europa

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