KALRO to pilot digital tool tracking carbon emissions in Kenya’s coffee value chain

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18-Kenya is set to pilot a digital system that will track carbon emissions across the coffee value chain, as researchers seek to unlock new opportunities for farmers to benefit from carbon credits while making production more climate-smart.

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), through its Coffee Research Institute (CRI), is working with Korean partners to develop an application that will collect farm-level data needed to measure the environmental footprint of coffee production.

The initiative emerged during discussions between KALRO and Sohee Eom of Kijanify, Korea, under the Korea–Kenya Innovation Linkages through the KAG–GMEP programme.

“The proposed app will capture important farm and processing information, including farm size, number of coffee trees, fertilizer application, mechanization, fuel consumption and coffee processing activities,” KALRO said.

The data will be used to establish how much carbon is emitted at different stages of coffee production and identify areas where farmers and other players in the value chain can reduce emissions.

KALRO said the application will initially be tested in selected coffee-growing counties, with the pilot expected to generate real-time, farm-level information on emissions and climate-related practices.

“The pilot will generate real-time, farm-level data to support carbon emission monitoring, assess carbon credit opportunities and guide the development of practical, data-driven solutions for a more sustainable, climate-smart and resilient coffee sector,” the Organization said.

The technology is also expected to help researchers and policymakers move away from estimates and rely on actual field data when designing interventions for reducing emissions in the coffee sector.

The collaboration between Kenya and Korea is part of wider efforts to use digital technology to address climate change challenges facing agriculture.

For Kenya’s coffee industry, the initiative comes as farmers contend with changing weather patterns and other environmental pressures that threaten production and livelihoods.

KALRO and its Korean partners expect the initiative to strengthen Kenya’s ability to monitor agricultural emissions while identifying opportunities for coffee farmers to participate in emerging climate-finance markets.