[WLRC, November 2025] A team of the Traceability Systems and Landscape Approaches for Sustainable Coffee Trade: Capturing and Reclaiming Value in the Global South (CARE for Value and Sustainability) project visited the Yirgacheffe coffee producing area in Gedeo Zone from November 4–6, 2025.
The purpose of the visit was to assess coffee producers’ awareness about and readiness for the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requirements and to explore the implications for coffee traceability and sustainable trade. During the visit, the team discussed with a wide range of stakeholders, including coffee-producing farmers, exporters, cooperative unions, and private coffee processing enterprises.
The discussions focused on key topics such as market opportunities and challenges, compliance with EUDR standards, traceability mechanisms, and sustainable coffee production practices. Participants shared valuable insights into the current situation of the coffee value chain in Yirgacheffe and highlighted the need for enhanced capacity building and technological support to meet the new sustainability and traceability demands.
The CARE project team comprised experts from the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Ethiopian Forest Development (EFD), and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of University of Bern.