Import and export producers and plots

Open Settings → Import and export to prepare producer and plot CSV files. Each type offers an empty template, a filled example and an export of existing data.

Start from a template or export

1. Choose Producers or Production plots.
2. Select Download template for headers only or Download example for filled rows. Columns and formats explains each field in the app.
3. Export existing data downloads the selected organisation’s data using the same columns. Plot exports include the current GeoJSON geometry. Copy producer external IDs into your plot file.
4. Replace the fictional Burkina Faso and Togo examples with your own names, IDs, crops and coordinates. These are not verified field samples.
5. Import producers before plots. Each producer_external_id must already exist.

All export pages are loaded before the download starts. A failed page does not produce a partial file. An empty organisation produces headers only. The export includes producer master data and current plot versions, including existing inactive records. It is not a complete backup of history, status, documents or assessments.

Existing records are skipped

Import creates records; it does not update them. Producers are matched by external ID or name and country; plots are matched by external ID. Keep an exported plot’s ID when re-importing to avoid creating another plot.

Producer columns

Column	Required	Format and meaning
name	Yes	Producer name.
country_code	Yes	Two-letter country code, e.g. BF or TG.
external_id	No	Unique external ID. Via generates one when blank.
producer_type	No	individual, cooperative, estate or company. Default: individual.
region	No	Region or administrative area as text.
locality	No	Town or village as text.
address	No	Address as text.
postal_code	No	Text, preserving leading zeros.
phone	No	Text, e.g. with +226 or +228.
email	No	Email address containing @.
cooperative	No	Exact name of an existing active cooperative. Create it first or leave blank.

external_id,name,country_code
PR-BF-EXAMPLE,Example producer Burkina Faso,BF

Plot columns

Column	Required	Format and meaning
producer_external_id	Yes	Exact external ID of an existing producer, as shown in its export.
name	Yes	Plot name.
crop	Yes	Crop code such as maize or cocoa. The app lists the organisation’s available codes. Translated crop labels are not codes.
external_id	No	Unique plot ID, generated when blank.
area_ha	For points	Greater than 0 and at most 4 ha. Polygon area is calculated from its boundary.
latitude	Without geometry	WGS84 latitude from −90 to 90, together with longitude.
longitude	Without geometry	WGS84 longitude from −180 to 180. Western longitudes are negative.
geometry	Coordinate alternative	GeoJSON Point or Polygon geometry, not a Feature or FeatureCollection. Takes precedence over latitude/longitude columns.
valid_from	No	Date as YYYY-MM-DD. Defaults to the import date.

Point or boundary

A point up to 4 ha needs latitude, longitude and an area. This is a fictional 3 ha example:

producer_external_id,external_id,name,crop,area_ha,latitude,longitude
PR-BF-EXAMPLE,PL-BF-EXAMPLE,Example plot,maize,3,10.78,-4.42

Above 4 ha, provide a polygon boundary. GeoJSON coordinates always use longitude first, latitude second. Close the ring by repeating its first coordinate at the end. The example download already contains a polygon correctly quoted inside CSV; let your spreadsheet application handle quoting when saving.

Check and import

1. Upload via Choose CSV file.
2. Select Check. The preview writes nothing.
3. Correct errors and upload again. Skipped rows may refer to existing IDs, unknown producers or missing cooperatives.
4. When the preview is correct, select Import records. Rows with errors and skipped rows are not created.

Each import file can contain 1,000 data rows. Split larger exports and retain the header in every part. CSV and TSV support comma, semicolon or tab separators, with one separator per file. Use UTF-8 for accents and special characters. A decimal point is recommended; decimal commas require quoted fields or another separator.

Treat IDs, phone numbers and postal codes as text in spreadsheets. Exports protect formula-like text with a leading apostrophe; Via recognises and removes that text marker on re-import. Quotes, separators and multiline addresses are preserved.

Permissions and checks

Checking and importing require write access for the selected type. Producer export requires producer read access. Plot export requires plot read access and Export production plots. Exports are restricted to the selected organisation.

After import, check the producer association, coordinates and mapped boundary. Continue with forest screening and field review where needed. Importing geometry does not constitute an assessment.