Capital space tech to drive eco-friendly cocoa farms

Edinburgh-headquartered Ecometrica will lead a UK Space Agency-backed project in efforts to end deforestation caused by the cocoa farms in west Africa.

The satellite mapping specialist will launch a platform to monitor forests in Ghana and the Ivory Coast as part of the Forests 2020 project.

Using images gathered from satellites, aircraft, and tools on the ground, it will develop a landscapelevel map that separates cocoa farms from forestry.

Cocoa companies will then plot their supply chain and assess their impact on protected areas.

The project, which is supported by the Ghana Forestry Commission, aims to provide evidence of deforestation which can then be investigated by authorities.

Ecometrica chairman Richard Tipper said the project would play an important role in helping to “sensitively tackle the complexity of ensuring supplies come from sustainable sources”.

There are more than two million small-scale cocoa producers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.