The EU acknowledged the concerns raised by global stakeholders, including smallholder coffee farmers, regarding the need for adequate transition time and resources. The timeline extension provides much-needed breathing space for smallholder farmers who face significant challenges in complying with the stringent geo-data and traceability requirements set forth by the regulation. 

One of the presented priority areas of action by ICP is the support to smallholders. Smallholder coffee farmers produce up to 80% of the world’s coffee. The challenges they face – from rising climate risks and market volatility to the lack of traceability systems – remain critical obstacles to compliance with the EUDR. As a pre-competitive partnership of seven leading family-owned coffee companies, ICP is addressing major challenges of smallholder coffee farming families. 

The support is expected to enable farmers to better cope with increasingly challenging environments and market conditions, which include new regulatory demands, such as the EUDR. By promoting sustainable practices that improve farm competitiveness and environmental stewardship, ICP works to lay the foundation for smallholders to align more easily with evolving market standards. While the ICP projects do not work directly on EUDR compliance, they focus on sustainable livelihoods and climate-resilient practices, contributing to the long-term economic stability and adaptability of farmers facing such challenges. 

The success of the EUDR in addressing global deforestation challenges depends on the ability of smallholder coffee farmers to transition smoothly and sustainably. No smallholder must be left behind in this critical journey towards deforestation-free coffee supply chains.