Since 2017, KIAG has been closely cooperating with the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) on the implementation of the GCP’s Sustainability Performance Framework (SPF) which is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The digital solution delivered by KIAG for the SPF’s implementation uses mobile components in online and offline modes and, thus, can be used directly at the producing farms in remote areas. This allows for the tracing and visualization of sustainability performance of coffee supply chain members in Vietnam and, soon-to-be, in other countries. Farmers use the mobile application because it helps them learn and adopt good agricultural practices by structuring the activities and documenting their application.

The consolidation of all data through a Business Intelligence component provides mobile-accessible reports on pesticide usage, sustainable coffee production practices, certification readiness, production, wages, sales information and profitability – for farmers, buyers, financial institutions and consumers alike.

After a first field test which is carried out in June 2018, a large-scale roll out in Vietnam with more than 8,000 coffee producers has been carried out in 2019. The project will continuously be expanded in scale and scope in the course of 2020.

The reporting tool will further improve transparency and is seen – both by the public and private sector – as a crucial instrument for Vietnam’s coffee sector stakeholders to obtain better governance and accelerate their own country’s sustainability journey. One particular feature implemented is the integration of a plot database which allows users to locate their plot and update information. For the system administrators, the tool facilitates the identification of plots with a potential conflict in ownership as multiple users claim to be owners of a particular plot. 

In 2019, WeTrace was also implemented in Kenya, another focus country of GCP’s sustainability activities. Based on consultations of coffee stakeholders in Kenya a National Sustainability Curriculum (NSC) has been elaborated in Kenya. The relevant data underlying the NSC have been collected from close to 200 farms in the Embu Province in combination with farm performance metrics and geo-data defining plots.

“We have partnered up with KIAG to jointly implement KIPUS, a digital data collection and analysis tool, to measure and track impact of sustainability initiatives in major coffee producing countries, starting with Vietnam. Over the last year, we have incrementally adopted the solution into our organization, configuring and soon to be running it on our own with KIAG’s support. KIPUS is an innovative, flexible and easy-to-use tool which will help us track sustainability progress for ten-thousands of coffee growers across our members’ supply chains.”

Andreas Terhaer – Global Coffee Platform (GCP)