What motivates us most is being able to say, ‘I take care of the environment, I don’t cut down trees, and my coffee will be valued more highly. I’ll be able to sell it under better conditions, and my work will be much more valued,’ said Victoria Alverca Peña, a farmer for 25 years and co-founder of APECAP, a small coffee and cacao producers’ association in Zamora Chinchipe, a province in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In our farms, besides coffee, you’ll find cacao, timber trees, fruit trees and even short-cycle crops. When the coffee plants are still young, we can grow crops like corn, cassava or plantains. This helps us a lot with food security.
As the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) looms, set to take effect at the end of this year, prohibiting products linked to deforestation from entering the EU market, a pioneering initiative in southern Ecuador is demonstrating a viable path forward for coffee producers. Coffee is among the commodities targeted by the stringent new regulations. Since 2019, nearly 400 farmers in the Zamora Chinchipe province have embraced a comprehensive model that integrates forest conservation, advanced traceability, and sophisticated geospatial monitoring. This "Deforestation-Free Coffee Initiative," now active in 23 areas across the region, has not only prepared these farmers for impending international market demands but has also established a replicable blueprint for sustainable agriculture in ecologically sensitive areas.
Genesis of a Sustainable Model
The genesis of this transformative initiative can be traced back to the period between 2019 and 2021, during which the project meticulously developed Ecuador’s first deforestation-free coffee production model. This groundbreaking effort was underpinned by a national protocol jointly developed by the Ecuadorian government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The protocol leverages cutting-edge technology, including satellite imagery, robust traceability systems, and independent verification processes, to meticulously track the origin of coffee and confirm that its cultivation has not resulted in forest clearing or degradation. The collaboration extends to the Italian coffee company Lavazza, a significant player in the global coffee market, which actively incorporates Amazonian coffee into its supply chain, thereby creating a consistent demand for these traceable, sustainably produced beans.
A Timeline of Growth and Impact
The period between 2022 and 2024 witnessed a significant uptick in exports of this deforestation-free coffee, with approximately 86 metric tons shipped, primarily from Zamora Chinchipe. This province, characterized by its dense forests and mountainous terrain, has been steadily solidifying its reputation as a premier hub for high-altitude coffee production. The most dramatic surge in export volume occurred in 2025, when the annual shipments alone matched the combined total exported from 2022 to 2024. Cumulatively, over these four years, the initiative has successfully exported a remarkable 172.5 metric tons of deforestation-free coffee.
"This is not just about exporting more tons, but about consolidating a model that demonstrates that conserving Amazonian forests can be compatible with competitiveness, compliance with international regulations and dignified income generation for small producers," stated Juan Merino, the project coordinator from the UNDP, emphasizing the dual economic and environmental benefits.
In its initial phases, the project strategically focused on bolstering the organizational and commercial capacities of producer associations. Simultaneously, it championed the adoption of sustainable, deforestation-free farming practices and the development of a sophisticated traceability system designed to meet the stringent requirements of international markets. The gradual integration of new producers into the initiative, coupled with the implementation of price premiums for deforestation-free coffee, provided a powerful economic incentive for these organizations to prioritize this increasingly lucrative market segment. This, in turn, has fostered new economic opportunities for farmers across the Amazon region.
Navigating the EUDR Landscape
The burgeoning success of Ecuador’s deforestation-free coffee initiative arrives at a critical juncture, coinciding with the impending implementation of the EUDR. Approved in 2023, this landmark regulation establishes stringent new rules designed to prevent commodities linked to deforestation from entering the European Union market. The regulation, initially slated to become effective in December 2024, has experienced two postponements, first to December 2025 and now to December 2026. The latest deadline is applicable to large operators and traders, while micro and small enterprises have an extended compliance period until June 2027.
The EUDR mandates that companies provide verifiable proof that the products they intend to sell within the EU do not originate from land deforested after December 31, 2020. Furthermore, detailed geolocation data for all production areas must be supplied. Widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive legislative measures ever enacted to combat deforestation driven by global trade, the EUDR possesses the potential to fundamentally reshape agricultural supply chains worldwide, particularly those in tropical regions.
Ecuador’s Forest Cover: A Broader Context
The scale of deforestation in Ecuador presents a stark backdrop against which this initiative operates. Data from MapBiomas Ecuador, a satellite-based land-use monitoring initiative, reveals that over the past four decades, Ecuador has lost approximately 1.2 million hectares (3 million acres) of forest cover. During this same period, agricultural, forestry, and other productive activities expanded by over 18%, becoming significant drivers of native vegetation loss, including within the country’s vital Amazonian region.
Broader analyses from the Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG), a consortium of research organizations monitoring environmental and social trends across the rainforest, and MapBiomas Amazônia, underscore the immense scale of forest loss across the entire Amazon basin. Between 1985 and 2023, the Amazon region as a whole experienced a decline of more than 88 million hectares (217 million acres) of forest. This represents approximately one-eighth of the biome’s original forest cover, an area roughly three times the size of Ecuador. Concurrently, during this period, cropland and pasture areas expanded by approximately 598% on lands previously cleared of natural vegetation, highlighting intensified land use as a principal catalyst for forest depletion across the nine South American countries that comprise the Amazon region.
Agroforestry and Enhanced Farm Management
Within Ecuador, the Deforestation-Free Coffee Initiative is a crucial component of broader national efforts aimed at mitigating pressure on forest ecosystems. Farmers involved in the program are actively adopting practices that enhance coffee production while simultaneously preserving forest cover.
Under the initiative’s framework, coffee is cultivated within diversified agroforestry systems, where it grows alongside timber and fruit trees, as well as other complementary crops. Participating producers receive comprehensive guidance on best practices for fertilization, composting, and overall crop management. Victoria Alverca Peña, the local farmer, articulated the core objective: to increase productivity on existing farmland rather than resorting to clearing new areas for cultivation.
The project has also been instrumental in introducing more systematic farm management techniques. Farmers are actively encouraged to maintain detailed field notebooks, meticulously recording information such as harvest yields, pruning activities, production costs, and other pertinent data that facilitates ongoing farm monitoring and performance evaluation.
"For many producers, especially older ones, keeping records was difficult at first," Peña shared. "Now, their children and grandchildren often help with the notebooks. We can compare results from previous years, see whether yields improved, and understand what worked and what didn’t."
APECAP, the association co-founded by Peña, regularly orchestrates farmer-to-farmer exchanges, providing a valuable platform for participants to share and compare diverse approaches to coffee cultivation. "We take a producer harvesting 20 bags and visit one producing 60," Peña remarked. She explained that farms achieving higher yields typically integrate denser coffee plantings with well-managed shaded cultivation systems. Some farmers have successfully increased planting density from approximately 2,000 to 3,000 coffee plants per hectare (around 800-1,200 plants per acre), complemented by improved fertilization and crop management strategies.
Monitoring and Conservation Achievements
Currently, the initiative boasts the participation of 373 producers, cultivating a combined area of nearly 5,000 hectares (approximately 12,300 acres). Within these operational areas, a significant 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of natural forest have been successfully conserved. Since the project’s inception, farm boundaries have been meticulously monitored through georeferenced perimeter mapping. This data is then cross-referenced with official forest-cover maps and analyzed using data from Global Forest Watch, a leading platform for forest monitoring. This robust methodology enables precise tracking of forest cover changes on each individual property over time.
By enhancing productivity on existing farms and improving market access for sustainably produced coffee, the initiative is actively working to strengthen sustainable production systems without necessitating the expansion of agricultural areas into the Amazon rainforest. This strategy is particularly relevant in a region where agricultural expansion has historically been a primary driver of forest loss. A study conducted under Ecuador’s PROAmazonía program identified cattle ranching as the dominant land use associated with deforestation at the national level. However, in parts of the Ecuadorian Amazon, the cultivation of coffee, cacao, and oil palm were identified as significant agricultural activities contributing to the expansion of farmland.
The consistent monitoring efforts empower farmers to demonstrably prove that their coffee is sourced from farms that have not been recently deforested. Furthermore, collaborative efforts within the initiative help to reduce individual costs and significantly improve market access.
"The project contributes to reducing pressure on the forest," stated UNDP’s Merino. "This is especially relevant considering that, in the project’s intervention area, we identified an average annual deforestation rate of approximately 3.44% between 2016 and 2022."
Market Access and Economic Empowerment
Access to international markets has translated into more stable income streams for producers, thereby diminishing their vulnerability to price volatility in the global coffee market. To equip farmers with the necessary skills to meet stringent quality standards and effectively navigate these expanding opportunities, over 100 producers and technicians participated in specialized barista and international market workshops held between 2020 and 2024.
According to FAPECAFÉS, a federation representing coffee producer associations in southern Ecuador, approximately 90% of the coffee produced under the initiative is destined for European markets, with France, Germany, and Italy being the primary destination countries. Initial shipments to Italy comprised roughly 17 metric tons, a volume that subsequently doubled to approximately 34 metric tons. By the close of 2025, total exports had reached an impressive 172.5 metric tons, equivalent to five shipping containers and valued at $1.7 million.
In a significant national effort, the Ecuadorian government launched a nationwide program in 2025 to register and georeference, or map with precise coordinates, the country’s more than 100,000 coffee and cacao producers across all 24 provinces. The overarching goal of this comprehensive initiative is to facilitate compliance with the traceability requirements of the EUDR for farmers in both Amazonian and non-Amazonian growing regions.
Global Parallels and Scaling Challenges
Initiatives mirroring Ecuador’s Deforestation-Free Coffee Initiative have also been piloted and developed in other Latin American countries, including Costa Rica and Colombia. Furthermore, similar experimental projects are underway for other commodities that are also subject to EUDR scrutiny, such as cacao and dairy products.
Beto Mesquita, director of sustainable landscapes at the NGO Conservation International, drawing on his extensive experience with sustainable commodity and landscape initiatives across Latin America, highlighted the immense value of projects like Ecuador’s as crucial learning opportunities. "These cases generate useful examples and help us understand what works and what doesn’t," he commented. "To scale this up, you need to bring in other actors and combine it with public policies and a level of technical assistance and rural extension that can meet the demand."
Despite the demonstrable successes, scaling up deforestation-free production systems across the board remains a significant challenge. Lisandro Inakake, project manager at Imaflora, a Brazilian non-profit organization specializing in the certification of forestry and agricultural activities, observed that while many initiatives have yielded positive results at the local level, they have often struggled to transcend the pilot project phase. "There are many pilots and little consolidation," he noted.
The coffee industry, in particular, is frequently cited as one that is culturally predisposed to traceability demands. "It’s part of the business model. I want to know that bean, with that quality, from which micro lot it came. It’s cultural," Inakake explained, emphasizing the ingrained desire for origin transparency among coffee stakeholders. He further added that coffee production inherently allows for a greater degree of traceability at the farm level. However, he cautioned that the widespread expansion of deforestation-free production necessitates continued and robust support for smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of the industry.
According to Merino, the ongoing coffee project in southern Ecuador is strategically designed to evolve into a scalable platform. This involves the continuous incorporation of new producers, the expansion of traceability mechanisms, and the strengthening of access to increasingly sophisticated and demanding markets, all while maintaining an unwavering commitment to the forest conservation principles that are fundamental to the initiative’s success.
