Key Takeaways:
- Dimitra signs partnership with the National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU) to roll out a nationwide digital compliance system
- Initiative will prepare over one million smallholder farmers for the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), set to take effect December 31, 2025
- Program integrates AI-powered farm mapping, carbon accounting, and ESG reporting
- Compliance critical to safeguard Kenya’s access to the EU, which purchases over 50% of its coffee exports
Dimitra and NACCU launch nationwide compliance initiative
Dimitra, a global leader in agricultural technology and sustainability solutions, announced a strategic partnership with the National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU), which represents more than one million smallholder coffee farmers across Kenya. Together, the organizations will implement a nationwide digital platform designed to ensure farmers meet the European Union’s upcoming deforestation-free import requirements.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), coming into effect on December 31, 2025, mandates that all coffee exports into Europe be fully traceable, deforestation-free, and backed by GPS data, forest cover analysis, and legal documentation. With Europe accounting for more than half of Kenya’s coffee exports, failure to comply poses a significant risk to the country’s farmers and broader coffee sector.
AI-driven tools for farmers
Under the agreement, Dimitra will deploy its Connected Coffee application to help farmers register their plots, digitally map land with geolocation data, complete deforestation risk surveys, and generate compliance-ready reports. The system also integrates carbon accounting and ESG reporting features, opening additional market opportunities.
To ensure accessibility, the mobile app will support both English and Swahili, and operate offline for use in remote coffee-growing regions such as Meru, Kipkelion, Kiambu, Nyeri, and Mt. Elgon. Onboarding will be supported by farmer training and technical assistance delivered through NACCU’s cooperative networks.
“This partnership with NACCU not only prepares farmers and cooperatives for compliance with European environmental standards, it also advances Kenya's broader goals of aligning agricultural exports with international sustainability frameworks,” said Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra. “Dimitra is excited to support Kenyan coffee competitiveness and sustainability efforts while facilitating EUDR compliance.”
Commitment to farmers and sustainability
NACCU emphasized that farmer inclusion is at the heart of this initiative, ensuring smallholders are not excluded from critical global markets due to lack of digital access.
“In a time when digital exclusion threatens to widen inequality in global trade, this partnership demonstrates that with the right technology and grassroots coordination, it is possible to bring millions of smallholder farmers into global compliance,” said Festus Bett, CEO of NACCU. “By empowering Kenya's coffee farmers with the right tools and training needed to comply with the EU's Deforestation Regulation, we are not only securing their access to a key export market but also reinforcing our commitment towards building more sustainable and transparent agricultural value chains.”
Safeguarding Kenya’s coffee future
The Dimitra–NACCU partnership signals a proactive step in protecting Kenya’s coffee exports from regulatory disruptions, while opening the door to premium markets, carbon initiatives, and ESG-focused buyers. The agreement also underscores Kenya’s commitment to strengthening its agricultural exports in line with global sustainability standards.
As the EUDR deadline approaches, Dimitra’s technology-enabled framework and NACCU’s national reach are expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring that Kenya’s coffee sector remains competitive, inclusive, and sustainable.
