Your EUDR Legal Compliance Questions Answered

Thank you all who attended our Forests & Farmers First EUDR Compliance Solution webinar: Your Legal Compliance Questions Answered.
We had a terrific level of engagement in the live Q&A, and below are the questions we were unable to get to during the webinar.
First, a comment from IDH Ghana on the important work accomplished to date on sensitizing cocoa supply chain actors in Ghana to the EUDR:
There is a stepwise approach for the sensitization to all the key actors within the cocoa supply chain in Ghana. ToT has been done for CHED and QCC officials of COCOBOD. Purchasing Clerks, Depot Managers and Warehouse operatives have been trained.
Thank you for this update, IDH. -- ACM
Q: What apps are currently available for mapping farm boundaries? Who is developing these apps? Are they being developed by Cargill, Olam, Barry Callebaut etc?
A: There are many apps available, including from TechnoServe, Farmforce, SourceMap, and Garmin, among others. Forests & Farmers First also offers a polygon mapping app through our traceability partner, orjin. Message [e-mail] if you are interested to learn more about the Forests & Farmers First polygon mapping app.
Q: Are these cocoa trading / processing companies collaborating on the technology side of things for EUDR? Or are they all just developing their own mapping apps in isolation?
A: The truth is we are not sure about private sector collaborations. It seems that the mapping apps are being developed in isolation, although there are some private sector companies that seem to be working with regulators (for example, Ghana Cocoa Board) to deliver compliance technologies to groups of farmers that deliver into their supply chains.
Q: What proportion of cocoa farmer have smartphones in West Africa? What incentives are there for farmers to use these apps?
A: Below is a link to a study that found 61% of cocoa farmers in the study area of Ghana used a mobile phone. I would say that figure feels about right, based on my experience connecting with farmers in Ghana, but of course that is only my anecdotal evidence; I have not done an similar study or measured this in a scientific way. As for incentives, there have been initiatives to pay farmers for their cocoa using mobile money apps in recent years, which could very well have laid the groundwork for farmers now to engage with mobile apps for measuring their farms or other uses. -- Dr. Kristy Leissle, ACM Founder & CEO
Link to study on mobile phone use by Hamdiyah Alhassan and Paul Adjei Kwakwa: www.publishingindia.com/GetBro...
Q: Are farmer actually using these apps to map their boundaries?
A: In our experience, the mapping is not done by farmers, but by paid enumerators who survey plots on behalf of a buying company, trader, NGO, regulator, or some other actor in the cocoa supply chain with a vested interest in EUDR compliance.
Q: What is the likeihood of all cocoa farms being mapped in time for the EUDR deadline?
A: A great question. This all depends on whether the operator or trader ultimately responsible for placing the product on the EU market is taking initiative to ensure upstream compliance. Some companies have been already working actively on this for years, including several chocolate multinationals that have committed to a full mapping of their supply chain. Other companies are getting started now, and others have yet to begin. It all depends on the level of resources and awareness that operators and traders are bringing to their supply chains, and of course as well on the importance of the EU market to their business model.
Q: Will the EUDR be delayed?
A: We answered this in the webinar, but it bears repeating here: EXPECT THE EUDR TO GO FORWARD AS PLANNED. Compliance is a lengthy process, and we encourage you to be prepared for the December deadline. Message [e-mail] if you need support on your compliance journey. The Forests & Farmers First team is here for you.
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