Published On: 09/03/20243.7 min read

Pilot Project Coffee Traceability Zero Deforestation and Agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon

Background

On June 29, 2023, the new European Regulation concerning the placing on the European Union market and export from the Union, raw materials and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation came into force with the publication in the EU Official Journal. How will small producers and cooperatives in Peru be able to justify zero deforestation coffee?

The issue of traceability is considered in most labels, but there is no direct link to deforestation. The challenge will be in the hands of the actors in the sector. How can Envol Vert support the coffee sector in this transition? The organization is already heavily involved in the fight against deforestation through several actions:

  • Advocacy carried out with a coalition of NGOs in France on the implementation of the SNDI – Stratégie Nationale de Lutte contre la déforestation Importée (National Strategy to Combat Imported Deforestation); and at the European level on the EUDR – European Regulation on Imported Deforestation.

  • Liaison with the Forest Footprint project: reference system to calculate the impact of our consumption on the forest, developed in France and Colombia and presented in Peru in Lima on October 1, 2023.

  • Work in the beef and milk sector in Colombia for traceability tools in relation to zero deforestation agreements.

Action of Envol Vert and allies in Peru

Envol Vert has been carrying out activities in the region of Junin, Peru since 2016 in conjunction with the CACS Valle Ubiriki in the implementation of agroforestry systems, the development of economic alternatives and the training of its coffee farmers.

The alliance between Lobodis, La CACS Valle Ubiriki and Envol Vert is given in 2020, which has 3 axes of work:

  • Reduce the impact of coffee cultivation on forests and the environment through the development of sustainable plots.
  • Develop complementary economic alternatives to the sale of coffee to ensure the economic sustainability of farming families.
  • Promote and disseminate agroforestry systems associated with coffee.

Farmers training

Plot of coffee trees in agroforestry

In the year 2023, as a continuation of this alliance, the pilot project “Coffee Traceability Zero Deforestation and Agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon” was initiated with the following objectives:

  • Study the regulation and identify strategies in place in Peru to join with other organizations and together propose an action plan to support farmers impacted by this regulation.

  • Establish a pilot group of 20 farmers (Province: Satipo – District: Rio Negro) to evaluate different methodologies for data collection and evaluation of the risk of deforestation of the coffee produced.

  • Train coffee farmers and cooperative teams to become familiar with the new requirements and empower them with the proposed methodologies.

Project progress

After several months of field work, the results of the visits to the 20 coffee farms were achieved and the first workshops for the producers and the teams of the Ubiriki Valley cooperative were held. The objective was to sensitize the actors involved to the new regulations and to formulate recommendations to meet the new requirements of the European Union.

What is the future of the alliance?

  • Analyze field data with 2 different methodologies in order to identify the most adapted tool and implement a traceability software in Peru.
  • Promote the conclusions of the pilot project in order to inspire more actors to implement this type of project and to use the chosen methodology.
  • Strengthen the capacities of the cooperatives’ technical teams to raise awareness among their coffee-growing partners. But also to replicate the methodology in the field and implement a traceability system linked to deforestation.
  • To replicate the pilot in other coffee growing regions: to contribute knowledge and lessons learned to other coffee cooperatives.

  • Promote the RAFIAS, an agroforestry network, as a forum for exchange and action in the Peruvian coffee sector, with a view to disseminating coffee-based agroforestry systems. Strengthening the link between the coffee sector and its main actors in the public and private sector.

Finally, the pilot project will contribute as a first step to the implementation of the new perspectives for the future and the steps of the implementation of the EU regulation to curb deforestation through consumer products (such as coffee), by these countries, generating awareness and sustainable practices that contribute to the protection of forests in different parts of the world.

Pilot Project Coffee Traceability Zero Deforestation and Agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon

Background

On June 29, 2023, the new European Regulation concerning the placing on the European Union market and export from the Union, raw materials and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation came into force with the publication in the EU Official Journal. How will small producers and cooperatives in Peru be able to justify zero deforestation coffee?

The issue of traceability is considered in most labels, but there is no direct link to deforestation. The challenge will be in the hands of the actors in the sector. How can Envol Vert support the coffee sector in this transition? The organization is already heavily involved in the fight against deforestation through several actions:

  • Advocacy carried out with a coalition of NGOs in France on the implementation of the SNDI – Stratégie Nationale de Lutte contre la déforestation Importée (National Strategy to Combat Imported Deforestation); and at the European level on the EUDR – European Regulation on Imported Deforestation.

  • Liaison with the Forest Footprint project: reference system to calculate the impact of our consumption on the forest, developed in France and Colombia and presented in Peru in Lima on October 1, 2023.

  • Work in the beef and milk sector in Colombia for traceability tools in relation to zero deforestation agreements.

Action of Envol Vert and allies in Peru

Envol Vert has been carrying out activities in the region of Junin, Peru since 2016 in conjunction with the CACS Valle Ubiriki in the implementation of agroforestry systems, the development of economic alternatives and the training of its coffee farmers.

The alliance between Lobodis, La CACS Valle Ubiriki and Envol Vert is given in 2020, which has 3 axes of work:

  • Reduce the impact of coffee cultivation on forests and the environment through the development of sustainable plots.
  • Develop complementary economic alternatives to the sale of coffee to ensure the economic sustainability of farming families.
  • Promote and disseminate agroforestry systems associated with coffee.

Farmers training

Plot of coffee trees in agroforestry

In the year 2023, as a continuation of this alliance, the pilot project “Coffee Traceability Zero Deforestation and Agroforestry in the Peruvian Amazon” was initiated with the following objectives:

  • Study the regulation and identify strategies in place in Peru to join with other organizations and together propose an action plan to support farmers impacted by this regulation.

  • Establish a pilot group of 20 farmers (Province: Satipo – District: Rio Negro) to evaluate different methodologies for data collection and evaluation of the risk of deforestation of the coffee produced.

  • Train coffee farmers and cooperative teams to become familiar with the new requirements and empower them with the proposed methodologies.

Project progress

After several months of field work, the results of the visits to the 20 coffee farms were achieved and the first workshops for the producers and the teams of the Ubiriki Valley cooperative were held. The objective was to sensitize the actors involved to the new regulations and to formulate recommendations to meet the new requirements of the European Union.

What is the future of the alliance?

  • Analyze field data with 2 different methodologies in order to identify the most adapted tool and implement a traceability software in Peru.
  • Promote the conclusions of the pilot project in order to inspire more actors to implement this type of project and to use the chosen methodology.
  • Strengthen the capacities of the cooperatives’ technical teams to raise awareness among their coffee-growing partners. But also to replicate the methodology in the field and implement a traceability system linked to deforestation.
  • To replicate the pilot in other coffee growing regions: to contribute knowledge and lessons learned to other coffee cooperatives.

  • Promote the RAFIAS, an agroforestry network, as a forum for exchange and action in the Peruvian coffee sector, with a view to disseminating coffee-based agroforestry systems. Strengthening the link between the coffee sector and its main actors in the public and private sector.

Finally, the pilot project will contribute as a first step to the implementation of the new perspectives for the future and the steps of the implementation of the EU regulation to curb deforestation through consumer products (such as coffee), by these countries, generating awareness and sustainable practices that contribute to the protection of forests in different parts of the world.

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