KAMPALA, April 10, 2026 – Uganda has taken a major step towards achieving transparency and traceability in its coffee sector, as industry stakeholders introduce a new digital system designed to comply with stringent European Union [ EU ] deforestation regulations. In a bid to meet the requirements, the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance [UCFA], in partnership with the National Coffee Research Institute [NaCORI], has developed an integrated platform to capture detailed data on smallholder farmers — a long-standing challenge that previously contributed to delays in meeting earlier EU deadlines. Several African countries involved in coffee, cocoa and rubber production failed to comply with the initial December 31, 2025 deadline, largely due to inadequate infrastructure to register and monitor smallholder farmers in rural areas who have sustained the agricultural economy for decades. Working with NaCORI, UCFA has now introduced a digital system that supports farmer registration, real-time ...