[WLRC November 2024]: The Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC) in collaboration with Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD) recently conducted a training workshop on using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS)-assisted data capturing and analysis for coffee traceability. The training held at Dilla University in Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia, took place from November 6 to 9, 2024, under the Traceability Systems and Landscape Approaches for Sustainable Coffee Trade: Capturing and Reclaiming Value in the Global South (CARE for Value and Sustainability) project.” The training aims to build the capacity of agricultural and coffee experts and extension workers from the Gedeo Zone and Yirgachefe Woreda as well as representatives from coffee cooperatives on GIS and GPS tools.
The training sought to equip participants with tools to enhance coffee traceability, ensuring compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The project coordinator, Dr. Amare Bantider, in his welcoming address outlined the CARE project’s commitment to deforestation-free supply chains through integrated traceability and landscape approaches. “This project strives to create ecological, socio-cultural, and economic sustainability for coffee-producing environments, while expanding the sustainability of agroforestry practices,” Dr. Amare stated.
The Head of the Gedeo Zone Office of Agriculture, Mr. Tatek Dori, delivered opening remarks, highlighting the longstanding cultural significance of agroforestry in the region, recognized by UNESCO, and the critical role of forestry in the production of Yirgachefe Organic Coffee. He emphasized that projects like CARE, which integrate modern technology with traditional practices, would help align local coffee production with international standards such as EUDR. He encouraged participants to make the most of the training, noting that improved traceability can enhance the quality and marketability of local coffee and strengthen the livelihoods of farmers, cooperatives, and unions.
The four-day workshop included both theoretical and practical sessions, covering GIS and GPS applications in data capturing and analysis using standard apparatus and smartphones. Participants also received hands-on experience in assessing biodiversity, regeneration status, and woody biomass. A total of 21 trainees attended from the Gedeo Zone Office of Agriculture, Yirgachefe Office of Agriculture, Land Administration Office, Kebele Extension workers, and the Yirgachefe Coffee Cooperative.
The CARE for Value and Sustainability project is a three-year initiative (2024–2027) funded by the Swiss Development and Cooperation through its Solution-Oriented Research for Development (SOR4D) Programme. The project is implemented by a consortium that includes WLRC, the Center for Development and Environment at the University of Bern (CDE), Ethiopian Forestry Development (EFD), and the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA).