Trainings on geolocation and EUDR awareness have sparked strong interest in Sabah. What began with originally 90 smallholders from Telupid, Tongod, and Beluran quickly grew to more than 125 participants who attended the EUDR Engagement Project training held on July 27–29.
The program featured two main activities to support smallholder farmers:
- EUDR Awareness – Introducing smallholders to the EU Deforestation Regulation and outlining the key information they need to provide to buyers to fulfill requirements.
- Geolocation Training – Equipping smallholders with practical skills to collect and record farm coordinates using smartphone applications, supported by GPS devices for backup and accuracy in traceability.
Smallholders are vital to maintaining Sabah’s forest protection, yet many face barriers to meeting sustainability requirements – such as limited capital, low yields, small landholdings, and low digital literacy. By equipping farmers with geolocation skills, the project not only contributes to traceability but also builds capacity to foster market access and environmental stewardship.
Following the training, field assistants will work with registered smallholders to finalize farm mappings, aiming to survey two plots per day, weather and distances permitting. This hands-on approach ensures smallholders are included to provide information on EUDR requirements when buyers ask for data allowing to benefit equitably from sustainability-based market opportunities.
Before this, we didn’t know how to record our farm boundaries properly. Now with mapping, we can show where our land is and prove that it’s not in a forest reserve. This makes us more confident when selling our fruits
By focusing only on the most relevant information, smallholders feedbacked that they now understand the EUDR’s ultimate aim: to preserve forests, protect biodiversity, and maintain cooler temperatures for Earth – safeguarding nature for their children and grandchildren.
