Kenya has stepped up efforts to map all coffee-growing lands in the country as it moves to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR), which take full effect on December 30, 2025.
The EUDR requires exporters to prove that key agricultural commodities, including coffee, are not linked to deforestation as of December 31, 2020. All products entering the EU must be traceable to land that was not deforested after that date.
To meet the stringent traceability requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, through the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), has initiated a nationwide geospatial mapping of coffee farms.
So far, 32,688 hectares, representing 30% of the total 109,384 hectares under coffee production, have been geo-mapped across 16 of the 33 coffee-growing counties.
The exercise is being executed under the coordination of the EUDR Data Committee, comprising the State Department for Agriculture, State Department for Cooperatives, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Space Agency, Directorate of Survey and Remote Sensing, and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
“The goal is to complete mapping the remaining coffee farms within the next two months to ensure compliance before the EU deadline,” said AFA Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru in a statement released Monday.
Coffee is one of Kenya’s most important export crops, with 95% of the produce destined for overseas markets. The EU accounts for 55% of those exports, with Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and Finland as the leading destinations.
In the last five years alone, Kenya exported 122,699 metric tonnes of clean coffee to the EU, earning the country USD 695.7 million (approximately KES 90 billion).
Smallholder farmers, who contribute around 70% of the country’s coffee, stand to be the most affected by the EUDR if compliance is not achieved. With coffee grown in 33 counties, the mapping effort is seen as critical to safeguarding Kenya’s access to its most lucrative coffee market.
The AFA has called on stakeholders and the public seeking clarification on the regulation or mapping efforts to reach out to the Authority.