African Smallholders Lose Access to Market

The EUDR legislation poses a significant challenge for smallholder farmers, particularly in Africa. It’s not deforestation on their farms that’s causing the problem, but rather the lack of infrastructure, connectivity, and preparedness. Even though the legislation hasn’t been fully enacted, evidence suggests that purchases of African coffee from smallholder farmers are already on the decline as African coffee exporters are witnessing the repercussions as contracts for coffee sales are being awarded to better-resourced countries like Brazil. This is especially concerning for countries like Ethiopia and Uganda, where the majority of coffee farming is done by smallholders. Ethiopia, in particular, heavily relies on the European Union (EU) market for its coffee exports, with approximately 5 million families dependent on this trade. Reuters has pointed out that any disruption in market access will have significant social consequences for the country.

The UK has announced significant steps to combat deforestation by including palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather, and soy in new trade legislation. The announcement was made at COP28 as part of Nature Day. The laws are aimed at ensuring that products sold in the UK are not linked to illegal deforestation. This move seeks to protect natural resources and habitats, while assuring British consumers that their purchases don’t contribute to deforestation.

On 29th June this year when the European Union’s EU Deforestation Regulation came into force, the clock officially began counting down to the first auditable imports for compliance to the regulation.

9th June 2023 EU Deforestation Regulations get Final Agreement by Council

 Parliament Adopts New Law with Promising Implications for Businesses

In a groundbreaking move to tackle global deforestation, the European Parliament has this year a new law aimed at addressing this urgent environmental concern. The legislation, which underscores the European Union’s commitment to sustainability, not only emphasises the need for stricter regulations but also holds significant implications for businesses operating within the import and trade sectors. Here, we explore the key aspects of the new EU Deforestation Regulations and examine how Trade in Space, specifically through the use of innovative tools such as Sustainimaps and Digitrak, can assist importers and traders in meeting their sustainability requirements effectively.

Geospatial Analysis for Assessing Crop Health Risks Due to Climate Change

Sustainable living for everyone on Earth demands an in-depth knowledge of threats that threaten the food chain. Climate change poses particular risks to crops, making them susceptible to pests, diseases and temperature-related challenges. Recognising this urgency, Trade in Space’s analyst team led an innovative project sponsored by Scottish Enterprise in order to assess crop health using advanced data layers and assess risk.

Deforestation in indirect supply chains

The chocolate industry is a multibillion-dollar global business, with around 8 million metric tons consumed every year! With an ever-growing demand and pressures on supply and the environment, traceability is becoming a necessity.

Why Coffee?

One of the commodity verticals we do a lot of work with at Trade in Space is coffee.

The future of coffee

Analysts forecast that by 2050, climate change will cause some of the most suitable coffee producing origins will decrease in output by up to 50%. With over 2 billion cups consumed daily, we at Trade in Space partnered with colleagues at Environment Systems to investigate how climate change might affect the supply of coffee – where are the highest risk origins, and what might future impact look like on the ground? Data from satellites can help us find the answers.