Oil Palm Expansion Research Articles

Smallholder RSPO certification, economic benefits and agrochemical use

Abstract Sustainability standards, such as the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), can potentially mitigate the trade-offs between economic benefits and environmental harm of oil palm expansion. Using unique primary household and farm level panel data collected from Jambi Province, Indonesia, we first document the differences in agricultural inputs and outputs between certified and non-certified smallholder farmers. Second, we illustrate the potential implications and mechanisms of certification. In this study, therefore, we aim to first document agricultural input and output differences between certified and non-certified smallholder farmers, second to illustrate potential effects of certification with observational data and third to provide guidance for future rigorous causal analyses. We find generally positive correlations between RSPO certification, land productivity, profits, and fertilizer use, and a negative correlation with toxic herbicide use. However, we do not find price premiums for RSPO-certified farmers. Overall, the results of this study are indicative of potentially modest effects of RSPO-certification that may operate through higher productivity due to improved management practices that remain agrochemical intensive but avoid some particularly harmful chemicals. Our findings are relevant to better understand the strong sustainability claims of RSPO marketing and to provide guidance for rigorous causal experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Land Cover Change and Oil Palm Expansion in Gunung Mas

Abstract: The area of oil palm plantations in Indonesia has increased over time. The growth of oil palm plantations even exceeds the percentage of the area of paddy fields, especially in Gunung Mas Regency. This phenomenon is accompanied by the implementation of "Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2020 concerning Land Fire Control". The regulation aims to prevent land fires due to human activities. However, local people believe that burning can increase land productivity. As a result, many people convert their land to plant oil palm, because it is considered to guarantee economic improvement compared to paddy fields. Remote sensing satellite imagery is the basis and main source in the analysis. With spatio-temporal analysis, mapping of land use changes in a certain period of time and its relationship with the distribution of agricultural wet and dry areas. As a result, the proportion of palm oil land in Gunung Mas Regency is higher than the proportion of paddy fields. If oil palm expansion continues in the future, agricultural drought could become more widespread. Keywords: Expansion of oil palm, Land use change, Paddy Fields, Remote sensing, Spatio-Temporal Analysis

Guardians of the Green: Exploring the Forest Management Wisdom of Dayak Benawan Women in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

This research delves into the ramifications of oil palm expansion on the forest stewardship methods of the Dayak Benawan community in Cowet Village, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It particularly sheds light on the adaptive strategies of indigenous women in response to diminishing forestlands. By intersecting traditional wisdom with evolving environmental realities and economic challenges, this study offers a comprehensive perspective. Employing ethnographic methodology, the research involved conducting interviews with Dayak Benawan women, providing rich, qualitative insights.Our findings unveil a profound shift in both livelihoods and cultural practices as a direct consequence of oil palm plantation encroachment. Notably, the study quantifies the impact, revealing an 18% loss of forest area in the Sanggau Regency attributable to oil palm plantation expansion. This expansion exerts a discernible negative influence, compelling the Dayak Benawan community to undergo significant livelihood transformations. This study not only highlights the environmental and socio-cultural costs of agricultural industrialization but also stresses the resilience and adaptability of indigenous communities in the face of ecological disruption.

Analysis of the foreign direct investment, oil palm expansion, and food security in Indonesia: Sumatra and Kalimantan case studies

The continuing oil palm expansion on food security has prompted fierce debate. On one side, analysts argue that local community incorporation in the oil palm sector can increase food purchasing in the market. However, the expansion has also brought unprecedented consequences of losing highly nutritious food due to forest conversions. This study aims to analyze oil palm expansion and local food security in various regions in Indonesia by tackling the following questions: (a) Which factors influence palm oil expansion, and does foreign investment play a role? (b) How does palm oil expansion affect food security in Indonesia? Socioeconomic methods have been applied in this study, including a systematic literature review and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders from various domestic and international organizations. These two methods help us triangulate the academic literature findings with real-world situations as perceived by the actors in the related field. Results indicate that, firstly, foreign investors have not only made a direct investment to facilitate oil palm expansion, but also indirect financial intermediaries are held without holding financial equities to upstream oil palm companies (e.g., supply chain financing contracts, channeling using local financial institutions such as credit union). Secondly, while large corporations asserted monoculture oil palm expansions, some smallholding farmers use mixed cropland expansion to share food and oil palm crops in their own smallholding terms. With the oil palm expansion, farmers can secure a cash flow from palm oil, but an unintended outcome is less nutrition diversification, and often because of the distance to markets, some commodities are favored over a more diverse diet. The outcomes of oil palm development vary and are multifold, as some stakeholders report that some studies show improving cash flows at the farm level, but other studies insist that food insecurity still prevails.

Does community-based tenure prevent land grabbing? The oil palm case in Mexico

The recent oil palm expansion has resulted in significant land losses for rural communities globally, raising concerns about food security, poverty, and the loss of common resources. This study investigates whether community-based tenure regimes in Mexico, particularly ejidos, prevent land grabbing and land concentration in oil palm producing regions. By mapping oil palm plantation types (smallholdings, mid-sized and large-scale plantations) across major land tenure regimes (ejido, communal and private property) using high spatial resolution imagery from Google Earth and ESRI/Maxar, we explore the relationship between tenure forms and land concentration. Our findings suggest that ejido lands largely prevents land grabbing by oil palm, although neoliberal reforms have favored land concentration, especially under private tenured land (southern Campeche) but also in some ejidos facing illegal land-based investments (Lacandon rainforest). This research contributes to broader debates on oil palm, tenure regimes and land grabbing, highlighting the need for land tenure policies that protect rural communities from industrial plantation encroachments.

Palm oil expansion, insecure land rights, and land-use conflict: A case of palm oil centre of Riau, Indonesia

Insecure rights tend to lead to land-use conflicts. The literature mainly focuses on the impact of insecure land rights on investment. Regarding the causes, studies mainly focus on the effect of state regulations. Little attention is given to the impact of the extractive economy on land rights security. This article scrutinizes how palm oil expansion manipulates insecure land rights, leading to land-use conflict. We pay attention to a particular land right in Indonesia that is based on the´ land status letter´ (Surat Keterangan Tanah, SKT), an initial proof of land ownership that is widely held by villagers in Indonesia. Studies have neglected this land right, as most attention has been on customary rights (Adat). Our main questions are: How do palm oil companies treat the SKT in their efforts to obtain more land for their plantations, and how do farmers try to fight for their SKT rights? Using a qualitative case study in Indonesia´s Riau Province, we show that because of a shared perception that SKTs offer security, villagers did not attempt to get a full legal land certificate from the Land Agency, and palm oil companies often manipulated SKT land rights to acquire land for new plantations. Limited access to conflict resolution mechanisms hampers landholders’ efforts to enforce their land rights, and our study suggests that the security of SKT land rights depends upon landholders’ ability to fight for their rights. NGOs did not help empower them in this matter in most cases.

Socio-economic analysis of oil palm farmers in Kuantan Singingi District, Riau

Abstract Oil Palm is one of the most important sources of vegetable oil today. It has become more critical when utilised as a renewable energy source. These advantages make it a commodity of choice for both farmers and corporations. Despite controversies such as deforestation, oil palm expansion is unstoppable because more and more people invest and convert their agricultural land into oil palm plantations. One of the cases happened in Kuantan Singingi District, where many farmers have converted their agricultural land into oil palm plantations. This study explains the factors influencing farmers to convert their plantation land into oil palm plantations. This study also demonstrates the impact of the conversion on improving their economy. The expectation of high profits in oil palm yields influences the diversion of the land. However, the conversion to oil palm is not always paralleled with improving farmers’ welfare. Through a qualitative approach using FGDs and interviews with oil palm farmers in two villages in Kuantan Singingi District, Land conversion to oil palm plantations carried out by Kuantan Singingi farmers is predominantly influenced by technical factors, market access and prices. The transformation that occurred has not been able to improve their economy. Some indications of this failure are a lack of business capital, limited land ownership, and limited knowledge of oil palm cultivation.

Oil Palm Expansion: Aspects and Gender Roles in Rural Oil Palm Farm Households

Oil Palm Expansion: Aspects and Gender Roles in Rural Oil Palm Farm Households

SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF OIL PALM PLANTATIONS IN MALAYSIA: A REVIEW OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES

Oil palm has a significant role in the Malaysian economy, contributing 2.7% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. This crop creates job opportunities, produces stable income, and improves the socio-economic status of the farmers. Despite the good impacts on economic and social perspectives, oil palm upstream activities were linked to various environmental impacts such as deforestation, fragmentation of tropical forests, soil erosion, wildlife habitat destruction, carbon and methane emissions, and peatland conversion. The goal of this study is to review the existing studies and findings on the impacts of oil palm plantation activities on Malaysian socio-economic status for the last decade (2011 - 2024). This paper focuses on the economic and environmental impacts of oil palm plantation activities. We applied the desktop study method to search for secondary data such as academic papers and reports from online databases. Most papers opined that oil palm upstream activities have positive impacts on the economy of Malaysia but are linked with negative impacts from environmental perspectives. Most papers also proposed that sustainable practices and certification in oil palm upstream activities are important approaches to reducing and managing environmental impacts. Strong commitment from the government and stakeholders was needed to tighten the policies on oil palm expansion, sustainable plantation practices, and forest conservation.

Conflict Mitigation Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture in Palm Oil Expansion

Conflict Mitigation Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture in Palm Oil Expansion

Rainforest transformation reduces parasitoid wasp diversity—Can the enrichment of flowering vegetation alleviate this?

Abstract In Indonesia, the rapid expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations replaces large areas of tropical rainforest. Rainforest transformation alters the diversity and composition of parasitoid wasp communities, but appropriate management strategies to buffer their decline in rainforest transformation landscapes are not yet developed. Here, we studied the effects of rainforest conversion to smallholder rubber and oil palm plantations on parasitoid wasp species richness, abundance and species composition. We also conducted a flowering vegetation enrichment experiment using the flowering weed Asystasia gangetica in all land‐uses to investigate potential mitigation effects on parasitoid wasp diversity and composition. Rainforest transformation to rubber plantations caused a large decrease in species richness (46%) and abundance (59%) of parasitoid wasps. Community structure of parasitoid wasps differed between forest and monoculture habitats with more habitat‐specialised species in forest and a higher proportion of common species in the monoculture. The experimental flowering vegetation enrichment increased parasitoid wasp species richness by 18% and abundance by 127%. Enrichment also enhanced the presence of unique parasitoid species in plantation and furthermore increased differences in community composition between rainforest and plantations. However, the enrichment experiment was confounded by time, meaning that a multi‐year experiment with targeted controls is necessary for statistically more reliable statements. Our study shows the effect of rainforest transformation to oil palm and rubber plantations on parasitoid wasp communities. Although providing additional flowering vegetation in plantations seems to potentially mitigate diversity loss, further research is needed to confirm and to investigate the mechanisms how flowering plants alleviate negative effects of rainforest transformation on parasitoid communities. Thereby, efficient conservation strategies for parasitoids wasps and their biological control services can be developed for rapidly changing tropical landscapes.

Land-use effects on leaf-litter breakdown in streams in a tropical lowland catchment

The expansion of oil palm and cattle grazing in the tropics continues to alter numerous ecosystem functions. The generated land-use change is potentially impacting stream leaf-litter breakdown, a fundamental process for freshwater ecosystems. To assess the effect of land-use change, we studied breakdown rates of forest (Pachira aquatica, Pouroma aspera, Sloanea ampla, and Hippocratea volubilis) and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) leaves after a 26-day immersion in streams surrounded by rainforests, grazing lands, or oil palm plantations with and without riparian buffers. In addition, we assessed breakdown drivers by deploying litter bags (248) of two mesh sizes (15 mm and 0.5 mm) allowing or restricting macroinvertebrates’ access (134 coarse-mesh bags and 114 fine-mesh bags). Forest leaf breakdown by microbes (fine-mesh) was lower by 55% in the plantations compared to forests; while microbial oil palm-leaf breakdown was lower by 32% in the unbuffered plantations compared to forests (p < 0.05). Total litter breakdown was lower (p > 0.05) in the plantations but not when these preserved riparian buffers. Litter breakdown was driven primarily by microbes in all land uses except in the buffered plantations, possibly due to increased shredder biomass. These results suggest that oil palm agriculture may decrease microbial stream leaf-litter breakdown, especially in streams with no riparian buffers.

Dampak Ekspansi Kelapa Sawit terhadap Perubahan Ekonomi dan Lingkungan

This research aims to analyze changes in the structure of community livelihoods and analyze losses from the impact of oil palm expansion on ecology. The research method used is qualitative research, using in-depth interview techniques, observation and documentation. The results of the research show that there is continuity of interaction between society and its economy, which is marked by changes in the structure of the community's livelihood which is now also developing the cultivation of oil palm plantations thereby improving the community's economy, while the sustainability of community interaction with the environment is still visible because the community's environmental ethics still shows an anthropocentristic view of environmental ethics. , The ethic of anthropocentrism causes a decrease in environmental quality and environmental damage in Pelawe Village and Tambangan Village, District. BTS Ulu Cecar, Musi Rawas District in the form of road damage, environmental pollution, land fires and decreased biodiversity. So it can be concluded that the impact of oil palm expansion has a positive impact on the economic dimension and still has a negative impact on the environmental dimension. ​Keywords : Economic, Environmental, Palm Oil Expansion, Human Interaction

Assessment of the impact of COP decisions on biodiversity and ecosystems

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that any anthropogenic load or economic activity has an impact on the functioning of natural ecosystems, as demonstrated by the widespread practice of oil palm expansion. The purpose of this study was to develop methods for assessing strategies that play an important role in strengthening measures to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in Africa and Latin America, considering the impact of the decisions of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The study considers the materials of various international organisations on the problems of biodiversity related to climate crises, inefficient territorial planning, expansion of land for growing crops that deplete the soil or reduce the area of land needed to accommodate biota. The paper presents a sequence of steps to assess the impact of the decisions of the United Nations Climate Change Conference on biodiversity and ecosystems. The aspects of conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in the context of the expansion of palm plantations are substantiated. The indicators of the ratio between the available land area for palm oil cultivation and the area threatening to reduce the biodiversity of Africa are analysed. Environmental solutions are substantiated, which correspond to the provisions of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in the context of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, taking into account the expansion of large areas for palm plantations in Colombia. The practical significance of this study lies in the development of a methodology for the economic and mathematical assessment of the decisions of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which affect the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, and are the driving mechanism in creating an effective control system for tracking oil palm plantations, territorial development with the least environmental losses and high economic efficiency

Mapping the diversity of land uses following deforestation across Africa

African forest are increasingly in decline as a result of land-use conversion due to human activities. However, a consistent and detailed characterization and mapping of land-use change that results in forest loss is not available at the spatial-temporal resolution and thematic levels suitable for decision-making at the local and regional scales; so far they have only been provided on coarser scales and restricted to humid forests. Here we present the first high-resolution (5 m) and continental-scale mapping of land use following deforestation in Africa, which covers an estimated 13.85% of the global forest area, including humid and dry forests. We use reference data for 15 different land-use types from 30 countries and implement an active learning framework to train a deep learning model for predicting land-use following deforestation with an F1-score of 84±0.7\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$84\\pm 0.7$$\\end{document} for the whole of Africa. Our results show that the causes of forest loss vary by region. In general, small-scale cropland is the dominant driver of forest loss in Africa, with hotspots in Madagascar and DRC. In addition, commodity crops such as cacao, oil palm, and rubber are the dominant drivers of forest loss in the humid forests of western and central Africa, forming an “arc of commodity crops” in that region. At the same time, the hotspots for cashew are found to increasingly dominate in the dry forests of both western and south-eastern Africa, while larger hotspots for large-scale croplands were found in Nigeria and Zambia. The increased expansion of cacao, cashew, oil palm, rubber, and large-scale croplands observed in humid and dry forests of western and south-eastern Africa suggests they are vulnerable to future land-use changes by commodity crops, thus creating challenges for achieving the zero deforestation supply chains, support REDD+ initiatives, and towards sustainable development goals.

Land-use transformation and conflict: The effects of oil palm expansion in Indonesia

Land-use transformation and conflict: The effects of oil palm expansion in Indonesia

The expansion and remaining suitable areas of global oil palm plantations

Abstract Non-technical summary Oil palm has been criticized for being an environmentally unfriendly oil crop. In recent decades, oil palm plantations have extended into conservation landscapes, causing severe environmental damage and harming biodiversity. Nevertheless, oil palm remains a highly productive oil crop from which most of the world's vegetable oil is produced. Therefore, measuring the environmental impact of oil palm plantations and identifying suitable land to support its sustainable development is crucial. Technical summary To meet the rising global palm oil demand sustainably, we tracked annual land cover changes in oil palm plantation and mapped areas worldwide suitable for sustainable oil palm cultivation. From 1982 to 2019, 3.6 Mha of forests were converted to oil palm plantations. Despite a recent decline in overall conversion, the shift from forest to oil palm plantations has become increasingly more common over the last decade, rising from 14.1 to 34.5% between 2009 and 2019. During 1982–2019, 2.23 Mha of peatland and 0.1 Mha of protected areas were converted for oil palm plantations. The potential sustainable land amounts to 103.5–317.9 Mha (Asia: 44.6–105.1 Mha, Africa: 34.7–96.4 Mha, and Latin America: 35.2–116.5 Mha). Future oil palm expansion is anticipated to take place in countries like Brazil, Nigeria, Colombia, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ghana, where more sustainable land is available for cultivation. Malaysia, on the other hand, is about to exceed the area of sustainable cultivation, and further expansion is not recommended. These findings can advance our understanding of the environmentally damaging impacts of oil palm and enhance the feasibility of sustainable oil palm development. Social media summary How should suitable land be chosen for the establishment of oil palm plantations to support the sustainable development of the oil palm plantation industry?

Labor Displacement in Agriculture: Evidence from Oil Palm Expansion in Indonesia

Labor Displacement in Agriculture: Evidence from Oil Palm Expansion in Indonesia

Analyzing Drivers and Mitigation of Deforestation for Oil Palm Expansion in Indonesia, 2000-2020

Analyzing Drivers and Mitigation of Deforestation for Oil Palm Expansion in Indonesia, 2000-2020

Meta-analysis contrasting freshwater biodiversity in forests and oil palm plantations with and without riparian buffers.

The expansion of oil palm plantations has led to land-use change and deforestation in the tropics, which has affected biodiversity. Although the impacts of the crop on terrestrial biodiversity have been extensively reviewed, its effects on freshwater biodiversity remain relatively unexplored. We reviewed the research assessing the impacts of forest-to-oil palm conversion on freshwater biota and the mitigating effect of riparian buffers on these impacts. We searched for studies comparing taxa richness, species abundance, and community composition of macroinvertebrates, amphibians, and fish in streams in forests (primary and disturbed) and oil palm plantations with and without riparian buffers. Then, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the overall effect of the land-use change on the 3 taxonomic groups. Twenty-nine studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. On average, plantations lacking buffers hosted 44% and 19% fewer stream taxa than primary and disturbed forests, respectively. Stream taxa on plantations with buffers were 24% lower than in primary forest and did not differ significantly from disturbed forest. In contrast, stream community composition differed between forests and plantations regardless of the presence of riparian buffers. These differences were attributed to agrochemical use and altered environmental conditions in the plantations, including temperature changes, worsened water conditions, microhabitat loss, and food and shelter depletion. On aggregate, abundance did not differ significantly among land uses because increases in generalist species offset the population decline of vulnerable forest specialists in the plantation. Our results reveal significant impacts of forest-to-oil palm conversion on freshwater biota, particularly taxa richness and composition (but not aggregate abundance). Although preserving riparian buffers in the plantations can mitigate the loss of various aquatic species, it cannot conserve primary forest communities. Therefore, safeguarding primary forests from the oil palm expansion is crucial, and further research is needed to address riparian buffers as a promising mitigation strategy in agricultural areas.