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Without farm-level GPS coordinates, your coffee, cocoa, or wood product cannot legally enter the EU market under EUDR. Here is the complete technical guide to what must be collected, in what format, and how to submit it.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, Regulation EU 2023/1115) requires every operator and trader placing covered commodities on the EU market to prove that their products are deforestation-free and legally produced. The mechanism for this proof is geolocation data — precise geographic coordinates of every plot of land where the commodity was produced.
For African exporters of coffee, cocoa, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood products — and all processed derivatives of these commodities — this means collecting GPS coordinates for every farm plot in your supply chain. Not the region. Not the village. Not the nearest road. The exact production plot.
This article provides African exporters with the complete technical specifications for EUDR geolocation data collection — what format is required, which farms need polygons vs single points, how to submit the data through TRACES, and the most common mistakes that result in Due Diligence Statement (DDS) rejection.
EUDR covers six commodity groups and all derived products made from them. African exporters of any of the following must collect geolocation data:
| Covered Commodity | Derived Products Requiring EUDR Compliance | African Origins Most Affected |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | Roasted coffee, coffee extracts, instant coffee, coffee-containing food products | Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire |
| Cocoa | Chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa paste, confectionery with cocoa | Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria |
| Palm oil | Palm-derived food ingredients, oleochemicals, cosmetic ingredients | Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire |
| Rubber | Tyres, rubber products, latex gloves | Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria |
| Soy | Soy oil, soy meal, soy-containing food products | Limited African production — primarily South America |
| Cattle | Beef and beef products, leather, hides | East and West Africa beef exporters |
| Wood and paper | Timber, paper, pulp, furniture, printed products | Central Africa, East Africa forestry |
EUDR requires coordinates to have a minimum of 6 decimal places in WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) format. The WGS84 system is the global standard used by GPS devices, Google Maps, and most GIS software. A coordinate pair with 6 decimal places provides location accuracy to within approximately 0.1 metres — sufficient for distinguishing between neighbouring farm plots.
Example of a correctly formatted coordinate pair: Latitude 1.341234 / Longitude 37.654321. This level of precision distinguishes this specific farm from another farm 100 metres away — the minimum required for reliable satellite deforestation verification.
Whether a farm plot requires a polygon or a single GPS point depends on its size:
Plots of 4 hectares or less: a single GPS point (latitude + longitude) at the centre of the farm plot is acceptable. The single point must represent the actual production area — not the nearest road, village centre, or farm entrance.
Plots above 4 hectares: a full polygon boundary is required. A polygon consists of a series of GPS points that trace the perimeter of the farm. Typically 6–12 GPS points are needed to accurately define a farm's boundary. The polygon must be closed — the last coordinate must return to the first coordinate to complete the boundary shape.
TRACES NT — the EU's EUDR submission system — uses GeoJSON as its primary spatial data format for uploads. GeoJSON is an open standard for encoding geographic data structures. A simple point in GeoJSON looks like: {"type": "Point", "coordinates": [37.654321, 1.341234]}. A polygon in GeoJSON includes a coordinates array of multiple latitude/longitude pairs forming the closed boundary of the farm plot.
For exporters with large numbers of supply chain farms (40+), submitting coordinates individually in TRACES is impractical. TRACES NT supports bulk upload of GeoJSON files. Prepare your farm geolocation data as a GeoJSON feature collection — one feature per farm plot — and upload the file directly. Ensure each feature includes a unique farm identifier (e.g., "farm_id": "KEN-001") and any required metadata. Coordinate validation tools are available from companies like Live-EO, TraceX, and Satelligence to check your GeoJSON for format errors before submission.
The most accessible and widely used method for collecting farm plot coordinates in Africa is a smartphone GPS application. Free apps suitable for EUDR data collection include Maps.me, ODK (Open Data Kit), MapIt GIS, and Geo Tracker. Most modern smartphones have GPS accuracy of 3–5 metres — sufficient for EUDR compliance. For smallholder farms under 4 hectares (single point required), the farmer or field agent can simply stand in the centre of the production plot and record the GPS reading from the phone app.
For polygon mapping of larger farms (above 4 hectares), the field agent must walk the perimeter of the plot, recording GPS points at regular intervals around the boundary — typically every 50–100 metres depending on the farm shape. The resulting series of points forms the polygon boundary when connected.
Handheld GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers provide greater accuracy than smartphones — typically 1–2 metre precision. While more expensive, they are recommended for farms in areas with high tree cover (which can reduce smartphone GPS accuracy) and for operators who need audit-ready precision for high-risk supply chains. Brands like Garmin eTrex and Trimble offer Africa-compatible GNSS receivers at $100–$500 price points.
Drone-based aerial mapping produces high-resolution farm boundary polygons with sub-metre accuracy and simultaneous imagery documentation that supports deforestation verification. This is the most accurate but also most expensive method — suitable for commercial plantations and large-scale cooperative mapping programmes. A single drone flight covering 50–100 ha can map dozens of contiguous small farms in one session.
| Error Type | What Happens | How to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse or office address used instead of farm plot | Coordinates point to an urban location or processing facility — immediately flagged by satellite verification as non-agricultural | Always collect coordinates at the actual production plot, not at collection points or offices |
| Copied or recycled polygon across multiple farms | Identical polygons for different farmers signal potential fraud — multiple overlapping shapes are rejected | Each farm must have unique individually collected coordinates. Never reuse polygon data |
| Coordinates with less than 6 decimal places | Insufficient precision for reliable deforestation satellite verification — rejected at DDS validation | Ensure all GPS devices and apps are set to record at minimum 6 decimal places before field data collection |
| Polygon not closed | GeoJSON polygon that does not return to its starting coordinate is geometrically invalid — file validation fails | Use a GeoJSON validation tool before submission to check for unclosed polygons |
| Farm coordinates in overlapping or protected zone | Satellite monitoring flags coordinates near forest boundaries or protected areas — triggers enhanced review | Cross-check coordinates against PRODES, Global Forest Watch, or RADD satellite data before submission |
Every EUDR Due Diligence Statement (DDS) must be submitted through the EU's TRACES NT system before the covered commodity enters the EU market at customs. The DDS includes: importer and exporter identification, commodity description (HS code, quantity, country of origin), the deforestation-free and legality declaration, and the geolocation data for all production plots.
African exporters are required to provide geolocation data to their EU importer, who submits it as part of the DDS. In practice, exporters should collect and maintain farm coordinate databases that can be exported in GeoJSON format and shared with EU importers per shipment. Some EU importers request that African exporters pre-register their supply chain farms in the EU operator's TRACES account so that coordinate data can be referenced directly by lot number rather than re-uploaded for each shipment.
ExportReady.africa's EUDR compliance guides cover geolocation data collection, Due Diligence Statements, risk assessment, and verified African commodity exporter listings.