Cameroon’s cocoa thrives in rich agroforestry systems, where cocoa trees coexist with towering forests, fruit trees like mango and avocado, and non-timber species such as bush mango and jansang. This sustainable approach preserves biodiversity and boosts ecosystem services. However, for Cameroon’s cocoa to access the EU market, its major outlet, it needs to comply with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) which is reshaping cocoa markets by requiring proof that commodities have not been produced by converting forests to agricultural and other land uses, known as deforestation after 31 December 2020.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), inaugurated the national workshop marking the start of the AIM4Commodities (A4C) project activities in Colombia. The event took place on 22 and 23 April in Bogotá, bringing together nearly 50 participants, including representatives from government agencies, cocoa cooperatives, exporters, and national and international technical partners. 

Forests, data, and digital innovation took center stage at the Earth Observation for Forests session during the GEO Global Forum 2025 on 6 May. Co-hosted by FAO’s Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms team, alongside partners from the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI), the session showcased how cutting-edge earth observation and open-source technologies are transforming the way we monitor forests, restore ecosystems, and bring transparency to global supply chains.

Bangkok - Forests across Asia and the Pacific region cover 740 million hectares, accounting for 18 percent of global forest cover. These forests are not only critical for the livelihoods of more than 450 million people, but also play a critical economic role, with annual trade in primary forest p...

The Open Foris Arena platform, a free and open-source solution, has reached a new milestone with the launch of Arena 2.0. This latest version introduces significant enhancements, making it easier to capture, store, manage, and process survey data in a secure, web-based platform—representing a major step forward in how we monitor and manage forest survey data worldwide.

To enhance a digital public infrastructure for deforestation-related trade regulations, FAO's Open Foris has developed a suite of innovative solutions to help smallholders, decision-makers, operators and third party verification actors to assess the deforestation risk related to commodity production at the plot level using innovative forest monitoring.  

For Forest and Water Day, FAO launched a new Digital Public Good, Open Foris Whisp, which will help Indigenous Peoples and smallholder farmers produce forest monitoring information and support compliance with deforestation regulations. The open-source solution provides insights on different datasets from satellite-derived forest, land-use and tree-cover maps, combining information to gain a more detailed understanding of a particular area.

FAO today launched two new solutions for countries to monitor and report progress towards the conservation and sustainable management of mountain ecosystems. The user-friendly solutions are designed to help countries analyse Earth Observation data for their territories and extract information on changes in the extent of mountain ecosystems. This information is needed to assess global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, Life on Land. The first solution, based on FAO’s platform SEPAL...

Sierra Leone used Collect Earth Online (CEO) to collect data for their National Forest Inventory (NFI) field inventory sampling frame design. To support and implement their work, the team has created an 

FAO’s groundbreaking open-source technical solutions Open Foris and SEPAL have jointly won a prestigious Google Geo for Good Impact Award. FAO forest and land monitoring platforms Open Foris and SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring), provide access to satellite data and processing capabilities powered by cloud-based super computers, and use Google Earth Engine technology.

Earth Map, a pioneering initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that leverages freely available archives of geospatial data for climate and environment monitoring and mapping has been honoured with a Google Geo for Good Impact Award.

The European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) represents a step to reduce deforestation by mandating that companies and producers demonstrate that their products have not contributed to deforestation. However, the effectiveness of such regulatory frameworks relies on the accuracy and reliability of the data used to demonstrate compliance. Herein lies the importance of Open Foris Ground, a collaborative solution developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Google, aimed at enhancing data collection and validation processes.

The “Support to Sustainable Forestry in Sierra Leone” initiative, launched in 2023 and Funded by the European Union Delegation in Freetown with technical help from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, intends to contribute to sustainable forest management in Sierra Leone. ...

On March 21st, the International Day of Forests celebrated the pivotal role of innovation in transforming forest monitoring. A key aspect of FAO and partner countries’ innovative work is the utilization of Planet's high-resolution satellite imagery through the NICFI Satellite Da...

Today is International Day of Forests, a day designated by the United Nations to celebrate our world’s forests and their contributions to the planet. Forests...

Mobile application can help accelerate restoration efforts, enable small-holder participation in regulated markets, and bolster initiatives to demarcate customary lands

Ghana recently submitted forest-related emission reductions to ART-TREES, making it the third country to do so worldwide, and the first African country. The achievement stems from consistent efforts to improve the quality of its forest data and Measurement, reporting and Verification (MRV) to meet ART-TREES requirements, unlocking valuable climate finance.

Collect Earth Online (CEO) and SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring) are part of cutting-edge suite of platforms to interpret satellite data, generate land cover and land use change maps, calculate land change area, and estimate activity data.

From September 25th to 28th, a significant Open Foris event took place at the FAO Rome Headquarters.