AIM4Commodities Project: Data Ownership for Sustainable, Traceable Supply Chains and Transparent Governance 

How can food be produced sustainably while meeting deforestation-free requirements? That is the challenge at the heart of AIM4Commodities, a global initiative that is rethinking how digital tools, data, and smallholder empowerment through data ownership can shape the future of agriculture. 

Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Sustainable Agriculture for Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project, the AIM4Commodities project is piloted in Colombia, Vietnam, Kenya and Laos.  

Its aim is to enable producers to map their farms, manage their information, and meet international market standards like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). It supports farmers, cooperatives, and governments to build transparent, sustainable value chains using open-source digital solutions. The following sections delve deeper on three of the countries’ experiences.  

Colombia: Strengthening the Traceability and Sustainability of Cocoa 

In April 2025, AIM4Commodities kicked off with a two-day national workshop in Bogotá,  bringing together nearly 50 stakeholders from across Colombia’s cocoa value chain. Representatives from FAO, GIZ, and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), cooperatives, and exporters came together to strengthen national capacities to improve forest monitoring systems, traceability, and compliance with international regulations. The introduction of Open Foris Ground and Whisp sparked immediate interest, with institutions like IDEAM recognizing their potential to bridge longstanding gaps in land use and forest monitoring. 

The momentum continued with field visits to the regions of Nariño and Meta, where cocoa cooperatives like Corpoteva and Workakao tested the new tools in real-time. For many, it was the first exposure to such digital platforms, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.  

I think the tool (Open Foris GROUND) that our colleague presented will be very useful. It will really help us a lot in moving the process forward.Cielo Moreno, leader from the Corpoteva cooperative 

By linking national institutions with grassroots organizations, Colombia demonstrated how AIM4Commodities can create digital ecosystems that are both scalable and meet local needs. 

FAO’s Open ForisFAO’s Open Foris provides free, open-source solutions for forest and land monitoring. Within the Open Foris ecosystem, Ground and WHISP support smallholder farmers in collecting land-plot data, enhancing traceability, and improving transparency across supply chains. Ground is an open-source, map-first data collection platform designed to empower smallholders to monitor their value chains. It enables farmers to record farm data, including EUDR-relevant information such as commodity type and georeferenced polygon boundaries. With its intuitive interface, Ground is accessible to non-technical users and requires minimal training. WHISP (What Is in that Plot?) is an open-source geospatial analysis tool that overlays multiple publicly available Earth observation datasets to provide reliable evaluations of deforestation at specific locations. It supports smallholders and cooperatives in achieving EUDR compliance by conducting deforestation-risk assessments of their plots. WHISP is available as a web application and can also be integrated into other platforms and apps. 

Vietnam: Empowering Coffee and Rubber Farmers with Their Own Data 

In May 2025, the AIM4Commodities project launch in Vietnam set a strong precedent for how international tools can be localized for maximum impact. The project’s kickoff was in Hanoi, where technical discussions with the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) tackled one of the project’s biggest challenges: harmonizing forest and land-use data across provinces. 

These initial meetings laid the groundwork for integrating Vietnam’s national data into Open Foris Whisp, ensuring that existing systems are compatible with international regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). 

However, the project’s  focal point was in Quang Tri province, where the FAO led practical training sessions with the Khe Sanh Coffee Cooperative. For the first time, smallholder farmers were equipped to map and manage their land using the Open Foris Ground app – a shift from passive data collection to active data ownership. This shift towards producer-led traceability is a core pillar of AIM4Commodities. 

Finally on 15 May, a national workshop brought together over 30 stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector to discuss data interoperability and EUDR readiness. More than an information exchange, the event mobilized diverse stakeholders, fostering a shared sense of purpose across sectors and setting the tone for cross-institutional collaboration moving forward. 

Kenya: Private Sector Scales Digital Traceability and Transparency 

In May 2025, Kenya’s engagement with AIM4Commodities project took shape with a mission that blended policy dialogue, cooperative training, and system-level integration. The journey began in Nairobi, where FAO met with key agencies such as the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Coffee Directorate. These meetings with up to 100 participants focused on aligning national forest monitoring strategies with the capabilities of Open Foris tools. 

From the capital to the countryside, the mission then moved to Nandi County, where the Toroton Farmer Cooperative Society hosted a full-day training workshop. Forty participants, including farmers, extension officers, and local leaders were introduced to Open Foris Ground.  They learnt how to map their plots and understand the data required for deforestation-free compliance.  

This direct engagement with cooperatives represents a significant step toward empowering producers to manage their own data and strengthening their capacity to comply with deforestation-free supply chain regulations. Notably, companies such as the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG)—Kenya’s largest coffee exporter—have expressed interest in integrating Open Foris tools into their traceability systems. Discussions also explored opportunities to use national land-use maps in Whisp to enhance deforestation risk analysis.  

Kenya has shown a clear commitment to advancing its traceability infrastructure, underscoring the value of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a public good that supports sustainable trade and responsible land management. 

What Unites These Stories? 

Across Colombia, Vietnam, and Kenya, AIM4Commodities project brings a shared vision:  
To empower smallholders and institutions with open, accessible digital tools that make deforestation-free agriculture not only possible but practical.  

By combining technology, training, and trust, the project is helping producers take control of their data, gain access to high-value markets, and contribute to sustainable development at scale. 

This article was originally published here.