With the EXPECT-AGRI project officially underway, the research team has completed its first round of fieldwork Colombia between August and September 2025. The trip was a hands-on opportunity to understand the realities surrounding the commodities of coffee, palm oil and cocoa in the Colombian context. The team, including Prof. Janina Grabs, Dr. Charline Depoorter, Lucia Casalegno and Margarita Parejo, conducted interviews in Bogotá and travelled to producing regions like Santander, Meta, and Huila.

The project EXPECT-AGRI, funded by the SNSF, is dedicated to investigating how new sustainability supply chains legislations, in this specific trip the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), are being perceived and put into action across the coffee, palm oil and cocoa value chains. The main objective of this trip was to engage directly with local stakeholders through interviews and focus groups to gather diverse, on-the-ground perspectives on the EUDR and the characteristics of the three different value chains involved. 

It was an enriching and intense experience, where the team got to engage with many people open to sharing their expertise and experience on our study topics. These insights set the baseline understanding for the multi-year study the project involves. 

While integrating these perspectives into our work, we are preparing for the next phase of comparative fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire (January-May 2026). This time Prof. Grabs and Dr. Depoorter will go with Lesly Nassila, Prof. Sophia Carodenuto and Oscar Toukpo. 

Follow us on LinkedIn if you want to stay up to date with the project. You can also check out our Substack: we have it in English and Spanish, and soon in French too.