Palm Oil Sector Research Articles

How landscape characteristics in a heterogeneous oil palm plantation mitigate pest abundance: A case study from Mapiripán, Colombia

The oil palm sector is widely known for its strong impact on biodiversity and human well-being. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework calls for a sustainable biodiversity management approach to oil palm plantations and thereby balancing palm oil production and biodiversity conservation. Heterogeneous agricultural landscapes, comprising different vegetation types in a complex spatial pattern, provide habitat to a variety of species and support high biodiversity. Biodiversity can thus offer pest control ecosystem services to agricultural systems. However, so far it remains unclear whether landscape structure and diversity foster or mitigate pest occurrences in plantations. Our case study is the oil palm plantation of Mapiripán in Colombia, which integrates local ecosystems such as secondary forests, relict old-grown forests, riparian forests, and water body remnants in between and around the palm stands of the plantation. With this nature-improved design, we ££pose two main questions: which landscape structural properties characterize the landscape of the oil palm plantation?, and how do specific landscape structural properties foster or mitigate the presence of two main oil palm pests (the butterfly larvae split-banded owlet (Opsiphanes cassina) and the red weevil (Rhynchophorus palmarum))? We first characterize the plantation landscape with a multivariate cluster analysis which led us to identify up to nine different landscape structural types for the Macondo plantation. A mosaic of different landscape types ranging from homogeneous and simple landscapes to heterogeneous, diversified, and connected landscape types. Second, we performed an NMDS ordination to show similarities among the landscape structural types, land cover, and pest occurrence. Our results show that the integration of local ecosystems such as forests and water bodies improves landscape connectivity and suppresses the abundance of the two main oil palm pests.

Symptomatology, Distribution and Incidence of Basal Stem Rot of Oil Palm in Côte d'Ivoire

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a tree plant cultivated for its fruits, from which fatty substances are extracted for food and industrial uses. The oil palm sector has a positive impact on the socio-economic situation of producing countries such as Côte d’Ivoire. However, oil palm cultivation is subject to pests and pathologies, such as basal stem rot, which have been attacking Ivorian palm groves for several decade. This study was carried out to assess the spatial distribution and incidence of this pathology in the traditional oil palm cultivation area in Côte d'Ivoire. The method adopted for this study consisted of making an inventory of all the palm trees in a given plot, noting the presence or absence of symptoms of the disease and determining the incidence in each locality. The characteristic symptoms of the disease were observed: a pale appearance of the leaves, the arrows not open, the appearance of carpophore at the base of the stem or on root. Disease is present in the localities of Ehania, Eloka, Anguédédou, Boubo and Okroyo. But absent from the locality of Iboké. The incidence of the disease was between 0% Iboké and Ehania 1.15 %. This study establishes for the first time a summary map of the distribution of basal rot of the oil palm in Côte d'Ivoire

Should I stay or should I go? Understanding stakeholder dis/engagement for deforestation‐free palm oil

AbstractAddressing tropical deforestation in the palm oil sector involves a diverse range of stakeholders who engage or disengage with each other. Palm oil global value chain (GVC) firms (plantation companies, traders and processors, and consumer goods manufacturers and retailers), as well as nongovernmental organisations, financial institutions, consultancies and certification bodies, pursue their respective organisations' agendas through engagement practices, including through coalitions, in a palm oil sustainability network (POSN). Building on interviews with different stakeholder groups, this qualitative study characterises and critically analyses ‘stakeholder engagement’ by examining (1) the priority targets for engagement among different POSN stakeholders, (2) how mechanisms and tools are used in POSN stakeholder engagement or disengagement for addressing deforestation, and (3) the implications of stakeholder engagement or disengagement for addressing deforestation. Engagement and disengagement practices are shaped by and reshape GVC governance, with powerful stakeholders emerging as knowledge brokers and norm setters, raising important challenges for how deforestation is addressed.

A theory of credible cross‐temporal corporate commitments as goal‐based private sustainability governance

AbstractGoal‐based corporate supply chain commitments to zero‐deforestation, carbon neutrality, or sustainable sourcing have become important elements of businesses' sustainability and reputation management practices. However, we still know little about the conditions under which such cross‐temporal commitments are likely to be successful. This article introduces commitment credibility as a crucial but understudied antecedent of success. Drawing on the economic theory of imagined futures, it shows how cross‐temporal signaling via commitments may change suppliers' expectations and related actions and thereby co‐create more sustainable futures. By using insights from credible commitment theory, it argues that this pathway relies on high motivational and/or imperative credibility of the committed company. Contrasting the example of zero‐deforestation commitments in the palm oil sector with commitments to sustainable seafood and no farmworker exploitation, it highlights that the involvement of critical stakeholders (as external accountability partners or third‐party implementing agents) is of particularly high importance for on‐the‐ground success.

Pre-certification conditions of independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. Assessing prospects for RSPO certification

Smallholders, who cultivate ±30% of the global palm oil land, are critical to the realization of a sustainable palm oil sector. However, particularly independent smallholders, untied to mills, lag behind in yields and experience challenges to market their produce. Sustainability certification, such as by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), is proposed as a way to improve smallholder livelihoods, while protecting the environment. However, independent smallholders experience barriers to obtain certification. Through interviews with 18 RSPO certified independent smallholder groups in Indonesia and 9 certification facilitators, this study examines how pre-certification conditions regarding smallholders’ socio-economic backgrounds, legality, group organization, planation management practices, and local supply chain conditions impact prospects for RSPO certification, and how groups who successfully achieved certification have dealt with challenges during the certification process. We found that the majority (77%) of RSPO certified independent smallholders in Indonesia consists of ‘former scheme’ smallholders. These smallholders often have clear land legality and are organized in groups prior to certification, which increases their eligibility for RSPO certification. However, due to upfront and recurrent costs for certification, as well as complexities in meeting RSPO standards, access to certification is strongly dependent on external facilitators. To up-scale certification for independent oil palm smallholders, and include more non-scheme smallholders, certification projects should involve more local actors including local governments and certified smallholder groups. In addition, certification should focus on core social and environmental concerns for smallholders, while being flexible with regards to the forms of proof needed to fulfil legality requirements.

Determinants of FELDA Settlers’ Wellbeing and Sustainability: The mediating role of corporate responsibility

Over the past years, indefinite harvests in the palm oil and rubber sectors have amplified the pressure on FELDA settlers, especially those living in rural areas. Fortunately, with the government support of financial aid amounting to RM6.23bil, FELDA is expected to expedite a new business model in salvaging the settlers and ensuring their sustainability. The concerns on the palm oil industry and FELDA settlers' wellbeing have inspired researchers to investigate the issues and challenges, and the findings postulate that immediate resolution is vital to ameliorate settlers' wellbeing and for them to sustain and uphold the palm oil and rubber business.

Goal-Based Private Sustainability Governance and Its Paradoxes in the Indonesian Palm Oil Sector

In response to stakeholder pressure, companies increasingly make ambitious forward-looking sustainability commitments. They then draw on corporate policies with varying degrees of alignment to disseminate and enforce corresponding behavioral rules among their suppliers and business partners. This goal-based turn in private sustainability governance has important implications for its likely environmental and social outcomes. Drawing on paradox theory, this article uses a case study of zero-deforestation commitments in the Indonesian palm oil sector to argue that goal-based private sustainability governance’s characteristics set the stage for two types of paradoxes to emerge: performing paradoxes between environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals, and organizing paradoxes between cooperation and competition approaches. Companies’ responses to these paradoxes, in turn, can explain the lack of full goal attainment and differential rates of progress between actors. These results draw our attention to the complexities hidden behind governance through goal setting in the corporate space, and raise important questions about the viability of similar strategies such as science-based targets and net-zero goals.

The Macroeconomic Factors on Malaysia’s Future Crude Palm Oil (FCPO)

Over the past few years, there has been much interest regarding the Futures Crude Palm Oil (FCPO) in Malaysia. Its volatility in particular, has drawn a lot of concern and has become the focus of discussion in several studies. This study attempts to contribute to the research by examining the macroeconomic variables on Malaysia’s Crude Palm Oil from the year 1990 to 2021. It is crucial to identify the factors in order to have a better control regarding the FCPO price uncertainties. The primary question that is being addressed here is whether the macroeconomic variables affect the price of FCPO. Moreover, a selection of independent variables was chosen in this study, namely Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Interest Rate (IR) and Inflation Rate (CPI). Meanwhile the dependent variable would be FCPO price. All data were sourced from The World Bank and Trading Economics. For analysis, this study employed the methods of Descriptive Analysis, Regression Analysis, Normality Test and Correlation Analysis. Overall, the results found that GDP and IR have a significant and positive relationship with the price of FCPO, with IR as the most significant variable. The study also revealed that CPI has no significant relationship with the price of FCPO and, in fact, negatively affected it. The results of this research may assist the Malaysian government, as well as private and palm oil sectors to take better initiatives to control the volatility of FCPO and boost the growth of CPO in Malaysia.

Social Capital and Sustainability in Oil Palm Sector

Social Capital and Sustainability in Oil Palm Sector

Social Issues and Challenges among Oil Palm Smallholder Farmers in Malaysia: Systematic Literature Review

Oil palm smallholder farmers are among the key players and are mostly affected by social challenges to the sustainability of the oil palm sector in Malaysia. Previous literature reviews showed a lack of social studies compared to studies of the economy and environment regarding the sustainability of the oil palm industry. Therefore, a systematic literature review focused on the context of social issues and challenges reported by Malaysian oil palm smallholder farmers is presented. The PRISMA standard is applied as the foundation for the systematic literature review writing procedure. A total of 12 papers were chosen out of 340 from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. They covered three themes, including (i) attitudes, (ii) education, and (iii) the welfare of oil palm smallholder farmers. This systematic literature review has revealed that the social issues and challenges are closely related to the respondents’ demographics, such as the study location, the level of education, and the size of the plantations managed by smallholder farmers. This paper provides an up-to-date review of the social issues and challenges that oil palm smallholder farmers in Malaysia have encountered, as well as insights into future research on critical societal issues and challenges that demand attention and efforts towards improvement.

System of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) Detection Using Sim7600 Communication Module in Palm Oil Plantations

The problem of environmental damage caused by the palm oil industry has become a global issue. This often becomes an obstacle to the development of the palm oil industry in Indonesia. In fact, millions of Indonesians work in the palm oil sector and are a source of non-oil and gas state revenue. For this reason, efforts to support a sustainable palm oil industry need to be carried out. One of them is the implementation of a smart system in the form of a carbon dioxide (CO2) level detection system. It is important to know these parameters because they are affected by the expansion of oil palm plantations. The measurement results can be accessed and displayed in real-time web-based using the SIM7600 communication module. It is hoped that this CO2 detector will be a solution to environmental problems and related parties can determine mitigation actions in the most extreme conditions.

Scope for Sustainable Development of Small Holder Farmers in the Palm Oil Supply Chain—A Systematic Literature Review and Thematic Scientific Mapping

Background: The expansion of oil palm agriculture across the nations, especially in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, is growing at exacerbated levels. However, there is still a lack of awareness of the environmental, social, and economic challenges among the sector, ranging from the combination of ecological, economic, and ecosystem sustainability to the livelihoods of plantation workers and small holder communities. Small holders struggle to attain the primary standards on market governance, debt-free livelihood enhancements, certification norms, proper land rights and usage, outsourcing quality seeds, harvesting technologies, labor usage, etc. Method: There is a need to systematize the existing literature toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions that govern the palm oil small holder sustainability in the palm oil supply chain. The objective of this article is two-fold. One approach was to undertake an integrated systematic review and thematic scientific mapping of the last 10 years of research effort (2009–2020) on the specified research agenda, using data from the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database. Another objective was to gain insights and research direction. Results: The defined gaps and insights from the study helped to form the basis for developing a conceptual framework for achieving the sustainability and livelihood of small holders in the palm oil sector. Conclusions: There is a stringent need to focus on the sustainability factors of small holders in the palm oil upstream logistics to address and improve the overall efficiency of the supply chain.

Cross-Sectional Study on Land and Seed of Oil Palm Smallholders in The Western Part of Aceh: Challenge for Sustainability Agenda

Palm oil sectors in Indonesia have to faced critiques due to its compliance towards sustainability agenda. As the main palm oil producing country, Indonesia may lose its competitiveness since the global consumers demand more environmentally products . The two issues in terms of traceability are land legal clarity and the source of seeds. This study aims to examine the current stage of land legal clarity and the adoption of certified seeds of oil palm smallholders. A cross sectional study has been done across four palm oil producing regions in the western part of Aceh Province-Indonesia. The results show a significant consideration for future improvement as most of the smallholders’ land and oil palm seeds were lack of traceability. These findings imply that the government’s intervention is very urgent to accelerate the transformation of smallholders’ oil palm practices towards a global sustainability agenda.

Analisis Pengaruh Paket Remunerasi dan Stres Kerja terhadap Turnover Intention dengan Kepuasan Kerja sebagai Variabel Mediasi pada Karyawan

This study explains the effect of work stress and remuneration packages on turnover intention, using job satisfaction as a mediator. The object of research is one of the companies engaged in the palm oil sector in Jakarta, PT Kruing Lestari Jaya. This study discusses the theory of the four research variables, namely work stress, remuneration packages, turnover intention, and job satisfaction. This study used quantitative methods through the distribution of questionnaires via Google Form to 48 respondents, which were then processed using the SPSS version 25.0 program using saturated sampling techniques for sampling data. The results showed that work stress has a significant effect on turnover intentions. Remuneration packages have a significant effect on turnover intention. Job satisfaction does not mediate work stress and turnover intention. Job satisfaction does not act as a buffer between the remuneration package and the turnover intention. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that direct influence has a greater value than indirect influence. The job satisfaction does not mediate the effect of the remuneration package on turnover intention at PT Kruing Lestari Jaya.
 
 Keywords : Job Satisfaction, Remuneration Package, Work Stress and Turnover Intention

Labor productivity assessment of three different mechanized harvest systems in Colombian oil palm crops

Labor shortages are increasingly problematic in rural areas worldwide and, in particular, in the oil palm sector in Colombia. Therefore, alternative methods and systems that increase labor productivity, such as using machines for collecting and lifting fresh fruit bunches (FFB), are needed. In oil palm cultivation, the most labor-intensive process is harvesting. We aimed to assess the labor productivity (in t · FFB/person/day) of three harvesting systems using mechanized lifting systems (harvest A: manual cutting, manual harvesting using meshes, carts, and livestock and lifting using a hydraulic arm; harvest B: manual cutting, manual harvest using a tractor, and lifting using a side-turning container; and harvest C: manual cutting, mechanized harvest using a tractor-grabber, and lifting using a side-turning container). Two bunch density scenarios were considered. Data were collected from adult palm crops in three oil palm plantations in the Eastern Plains of Colombia, and similar crop yields were obtained. Labor productivity was 1.20–2.53 t · FFB/person/day depending on the FFB density and the harvest system. Finally, the cost per ton harvested was $ 8.9–$ 16.6 per ton, being lower in the systems that demanded fewer personnel. The highest labor productivity and the lowest cost per ton harvested were obtained for harvest C.

Estimation of Palm Oil Plantation Carbon Footprint and Reduction Strategy Using the O-LCA and MCDM

According to data obtained from the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report (GHG) and Monitoring, Reporting, Verification (MPV), GHG emissions are mostly caused by five industries: energy, waste, agriculture, food and land use coalition, and industry. The palm oil industry has grown significantly during the past few decades, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. The primary output of the palm oil sector is crude palm oil (CPO). It is anticipated that Indonesia will keep trying to satisfy domestic demand for palm oil. However, people still seek out goods made with palm oil that is environmentally friendly to create. Environmental concerns, particularly the claim that CPO production is a source of carbon release, are another obstacle to Indonesia's CPO exports to European and American nations (Uning et al., 2020). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the recommended approach to measure a product's or process's environmental impact with accurate results, according to a body of literature (Wahyono & Hadiyanto, 2019). Although the life cycle assessment method was first developed to evaluate how items affect the environment, it may also be customized to meet the needs of the business. As a result of this modification, UNEP developed a brand-new technique known as Organizational Life Cycle Assessment (O-LCA). There have not been many studies done in the past that use O-LCA to assess how business processes affect the environment, particularly with the idea of sustainability. Organizational life cycle assessments enable businesses to identify critical environmental operations and make improvements while considering a variety of sustainability variables, as well as other elements like environmental, economic, social, and technological considerations. Keywords: Carbon Footprint, Palm Oil Plantation, Life Cycle Analysis, Multi-Criteria

Synthesis of magnetic nanocarbon using palm oil as the green precursor via microwave-assisted arc for wastewater treatment

The presence of metal with microwave irradiation has always invited controversial arguments as the metal will catch on fire easily. But interestingly, researchers found that arc discharge phenomena provide a promising way for molecule cracking to synthesize nanomaterials. This study developed a single-step yet affordable synthesis approach that combines microwave heating and arcing in transforming crude palm oil into magnetic nanocarbon (MNC), which can be considered a new alternative for the palm oil sectors. It involves synthesizing the medium at a partial inert condition with constant coiled stainless steel metal wire (dielectric media) and ferrocene (catalyst). This approach successfully demonstrates heating at a temperature ranging from 190.9 to 472.0 °C with different synthesis times (10–20 min). The produced MNC shows formations of spheres with average sizes of 20.38–31.04 nm, mesoporous structure (SBET: 14.83–151.95 m2/g), and high content of fixed carbon (52.79–71.24wt%), and the ratio of the D and G bands (ID/IG) is 0.98–0.99. The formation of new peaks in the FTIR spectra (522.29–588.48 cm−1) supports the appearance of the FeO compounds from the ferrocene. The magnetometer shows high magnetization saturation (22.32–26.84 emu/g) in ferromagnetic materials. The application of the MNC in wastewater treatment has been demonstrated by evaluating their adsorbent capability with Methylene Blue (MB) adsorption test at a different concentrations varying between 5 and 20 ppm. The MNC produced at synthesis time (20 min) shows the highest adsorption efficiency (10.36 mg/g) compared to others, with 87.79% removal of MB dye. As a result, the value for Langmuir is not promising compared to Freundlich, with R2 being around 0.80, 0.98, and 0.99 for MNC synthesized at 10 min (MNC10), 15 min (MNC15), and 20 min (MNC20), respectively. Hence, the adsorption system is in a heterogeneous condition. The microwave-assisted arcing thereby presents a promising approach to transforming CPO into MNC that could remove the hazardous dye.

Ecological criteria for sustainability in global, national, and local scales: a review of the literature and case study in the indonesian palm oil sector

Current sustainability assessment methods are mostly disseminated at global or national scales. However, the sustainability criteria often fail to capture many ecological characteristics that are important to the local population. This article aims to understand the importance of ecological criteria for sustainability by reviewing the literature on issues related to the implementation of ecological criteria on global, national, and local scales. This study uses qualitative content analysis by examining secondary data searches such as journal articles and research reports regarding the topics. We use NVIVO software for theme coding. We also use a case study in the oil palm plantation in Belitung Island and the Indonesian palm oil sector to see how global and national ecological criteria for sustainable palm oil were designed and whether it is adaptable to the local context. This study reveals three main themes namely the function of ecological criteria and indicators, the adaptation of global and regional criteria, and the importance of local characteristics and value. We concluded that although global and national criteria for sustainable palm oil have been established, the characteristics of local biodiversity and social value and its prioritization are needed to ensure sustainability reached the lowest scale.

Promoting Circular Economy Between Palm Oil Sector with Multiple Industries

Malaysia is the second largest producer and exporter of palm oil products in the world, with the increasing production of crude palm oil (CPO) over the recent years. On the contrary, the palm oil sector has also received number of negative perceptions, such as high carbon footprint, unutilised waste and deforestation. The global organization of sustainable palm oil promotes sustainable practices to be being implemented in the palm oil sector to counter the negative image of unsustainable palm oil. One of the important areas to recover the generated waste into value-added products and energy. Therefore, the waste generation in palm oil sector can be viewed as an opportunity rather than a threat. In order to enhance the resource conservation, the generated waste can be reused/recycled within the palm oil sector, as presented in many previous research works. However, there are still large amount of waste generated being disposed. To address such issue, a circular economy approach is proposed around the palm oil industry. The generated waste from palm oil sector can be used as feedstock or input to other industries such as polymer, construction materials, furniture, paper production, etc. In this work, a systematic approach is developed to determine the optimum integrated supply chain network of palm oil sector with other industries Via such approach, materials that are low in cost, weight, renewable and biodegradable can be used as feedstock to create a self-regenerative system amongst the industries.

Implementation of Sustainable Plantation Principles Through Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil in North Aceh Regency

North Aceh Regency has 33,781.64 hectares of oil palm plantations granted to 11 plantation companies with the amount of land raises many issues in the social-ecological field. Therefore, the government of the North Aceh Regency developed the concept of sustainability-oriented plantation development and was guided by Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture No. 11/Permentan (the Minister of Agriculture Regulation)/Ot.140/3/2015 concerning the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification System (ISPO). This study aims to analyze what are the obstacles, and how the role and efforts of the North Aceh Regency Government in implementing the principles of sustainable plantations through ISPO. The research method used in this research is empirical juridical research. The study employs three approaches, namely the identifying research objects approach, the statutory approach, and the vertical and horizontal synchronization approach to uncover the reality. Based on the results of this study, the Government of North Aceh Regency has encouraged only 3 companies out of 11 companies in the palm oil sector to commit to ISPO certification. This is because only these three companies which are committed to implement ISPO certification. In the implementation, there were obstacles due to the lack of awareness of palm oil plantation companies in carrying out ISPO certification. The North Aceh Government's efforts are to allocate a budget to overcome these obstacles, as well as form a team to accelerate the implementation of ISPO. It is recommended that there is a need for synergy between the North Aceh Regency Government and businessmen in the oil palm plantation sector in the realization of sustainable oil palm plantations with the concept of ISPO certification.