Subprojects Towards Environmentally Sustainable and Equitable Palm Oil

The two main objectives of this five year program are (1) to identify sustainable pathways for the production, processing and governing of palm oil and (2) to enable different stakeholders to contribute to a more environmentally sustainable and equitable palm oil sector in a science-based and concerted way.

Project 1: Identification of factors in different smallholder-plantation models capable to improve smallholders agronomic, economic, social and environmental performance

Learn from the success of the Ophir project and constraints in the other models to propose technico-institutional improvements in major models of smallholders in oil palm to achieve sustainable intensification, improving smallholders livelihoods and their control over production and revenues. Read more.....

Project 2: Bottom up sustainable intensification of oil palm by improving quantity and quality of produce and increasing farmers livelihoods in Thailand

Increase the number of smallholders with increased quantity and quality of fruit bunches by connecting to their livelihood strategies when translating the lessons learned from the pilot project and to progress to higher environmental sustainability and equity in the chain. Read more.....

Project 3: Increasing the market share of sustainable palm oil in Indonesia

Explain why and how sustainable palm oil will become or not become mainstream in Indonesia in the coming 5-10 years by identifying social and technical measures to make sustainable palm oil mainstream in Indonesia. Develop a new theoretical conceptualization of the processes and networks through which sustainability principles are sustained and changed in palm oil commodity chains. Read more.....

Project 4: Improving the sustainability of palm oil production chains: integrating landscape and sector analyses

Develop environmental models to evaluate options towards sustainable development of palm oil production in Thailand at the scale of landscapes and sectors/companies. The models will integrate information on the causes of sustainability problems, the underlying processes, and possible solutions. We aim for stakeholder participation in the model development in order to increase model usability. Read more.....

Project 5: Strategies of Indonesian state actors in governance of sustainable palm oil

Generate insights into how different global and national authorities and legalities directed at promotion of sustainable palm oil in Indonesia interact, mingle, hybridize or conflict. Develop a theoretical conceptualization on network governance through studying interactions between different actors and legalities seeking to govern sustainability of palm oil. Identify critical ways in which network governance can contribute to sustainable palm oil on the basis of a study of the role of the Indonesian government. Read more.....

Project 6: Arrangements for governance towards environmental sustainability and equity in Thailand

Contribute to understanding local-national and local-global dynamics on environmental sustainability and equity. Read more.....

Project 7: Understanding dynamics in global financial, informational and commodity flows on palm oil

Analysing the existing transboundary palm oil investment and commodity flows and networks and their potential contribution to making the palm oil sector more sustainable and equitable. The focus will be on the global and regional flows and networks but with the intention to better understand how these influence (and are influenced by) situations in Thailand and Indonesia. Read more.....

Assess future trends in palm oil production in Thailand and Indonesia, as influenced by global socio-economic development. Assess the impact of these trends on the environment and equity in Thailand and Indonesia at the level of farming and ecosystems. To identify policy options to increase environmental sustainability and equity in palm oil production in Thailand and Indonesia. Read more.....