[WLRC, July 2025]: The Geo-spatial team of WLRC, in collaboration with the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) and Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority (ECTA) facilitated a ToT on spatial data collection from coffee production plots to zonal and regional experts and officials of Jimma and Sidama Zones. It was indicated that the ToT focused on theoretical and practical data collection using handheld GPS and mobile GPS to help ensure compliance with the European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR). The training was organised by ECTA, WLRC’s key partner in the Coffee Value Chains and Deforestation Free Traceability (CARE) project.
A total of about 180 experts and officials attended the ToT sessions held in Hawassa and Jimma, respectively. ECTA organized these sessions with the aim of cascading the training to coffee-producing farmers and value chain actors across all major coffee-producing landscapes in Ethiopia, including Oromia, Sidama, Central Ethiopia, South East Ethiopia, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, and Gambella regions. The trainees included experts from unions, cooperatives, and government institutions at regional, zonal, and woreda levels.”
Dr. Hailu Shiferaw and Mr. Alexander Girma of WLRC facilitated the ToT The training is spurred by what WLRC and ECTA are doing with the CARE project, which focuses on Coffee Value Chains Analysis, Mobile Data Collection App. and Web App development, and coffee deforestation-free evidence generation using time-series satellite images in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and ground truth, and the Development of a Traceability System through the CARE project.
A detailed report is available at ECTA’s Facebook page at: https://web.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1133362242159519&set=pb.100064572614676.-2207520000; and https://web.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1133361852159558&set=pb.100064572614676.-2207520000;