CoffeeLand Receives Funding from the Research Council of Norway
We are delighted to announce that the CoffeeLand project has been awarded NOK 12.5 million in funding from the Research Council of Norway (project number 358392, KSP25) for the period 2026–2029.
The project — formally titled Optimizing Carbon, Soil Health and Yield in Coffee-Forest Systems as a Climate-Smart Land Management in Ethiopia — is led by NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research) in collaboration with partners from Norway and Ethiopia.
What CoffeeLand Will Do
The project addresses the urgent need to protect and sustainably manage Ethiopia’s unique coffee-forest systems, which face mounting pressure from deforestation, land degradation, and climate change. Using AI, machine learning, and satellite remote sensing (Sentinel, GEDI), combined with extensive field research, the project will:
- Map the extent, structure, and carbon stocks of Ethiopian coffee-forest landscapes
- Assess how shade tree diversity and density affect soil health and coffee yield
- Develop novel AI-based carbon monitoring methods
- Explore pathways for integrating coffee-forests into carbon markets and REDD+ initiatives
Our Partners
CoffeeLand brings together six partner institutions:
- NIBIO — Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (project lead)
- NMBU — Norwegian University of Life Sciences
- Jimma University — College of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine, Ethiopia
- Madda Walabu University, Ethiopia
- Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), Ethiopia
- Utviklingsfondet (UF) — Development Fund of Norway
Looking Ahead
The project officially started in January 2026. Our first milestones include establishing research teams, setting up field plots in Jimma and Bale regions of Ethiopia, and developing the project’s data management and dissemination plans.
We are committed to open science: all datasets, code, and publications will be made openly available through repositories such as Zenodo and GitHub.
Stay tuned for updates as the work gets underway!