Lacteos del Hogar Dairy Suppliers Align with Zero-Deforestation Agreements
During two sessions in Morelia and Florencia (Caquetá), suppliers of Lácteos del Hogar were trained in MyGeoFarm and ZDA MRV systems to certify deforestation-free dairy products and safeguard forests
Last October, in the Caquetá foothills, more than a technical training session took place: it was a gathering to understand how to produce milk while caring for the forest and the future of Caquetá, Colombia. Nearly 60 suppliers from the company Lácteos del Hogar came together to learn and practice with a key tool—MyGeoFarm—and to understand, in a simple and participatory way, what the Zero-Deforestation Agreements (ZDAs) mean for the dairy sector and how to comply with them at the farm level.
Producing well also means producing without deforestation. Lácteos del Hogar, a leading company in the region, is taking a decisive step: certifying that its network of suppliers complies with the Zero-Deforestation Agreements (ZDAs) for the dairy value chain. This involves demonstrating, through clear and verifiable data, that forest cover is protected on their farms and that progress is being made toward more sustainable, competitive production systems with high environmental value. This effort is especially meaningful in a department like Caquetá—one of the country’s lungs—where balancing production and conservation is both a present and future commitment.
The training was conducted within the framework of the project Transforming supply chains for a deforestation-free future: integrating the MRV protocol in Colombia's agri-food sectors, funded by UK PACT Colombia of the United Kingdom. This project is implementing the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Protocol for non-deforestation associated with agricultural value chains, with Lácteos del Hogar as a strategic counterpart and its network of suppliers in the Caquetá municipalities of Florencia, Morelia, and Belén de los Andaquíes. In simple terms, MRV is the ‘common language’ that makes it possible to demonstrate, with evidence, that what has been promised is being delivered: producing without deforestation.
Being in a rural area was not an obstacle: high-speed satellite internet was available to ensure the installation and practice. In addition, an internet connection is not required to record information; data are stored on the phone and automatically synchronized once the connection is restored. This way, each producer can move forward at their own pace, without depending on real-time connectivity.
During the practical exercise, participants worked step by step: creating the farm profile, delineating paddocks and forest areas, reporting water springs, uploading evidence such as georeferenced photos, and reviewing simple reports that help verify whether the farm maintains its forest cover intact. The idea is not to “fill out forms,” but to generate useful information: for producers, because it improves farm management and decision-making; for the company, because it demonstrates commitment and streamlines processes; and for the country, because it enables deforestation-free value chains.
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