We are working with Rainforest Alliance to address sustainability issues relating to independent oil palm farmers in the region and to support the development of a jurisdictional approach for the entire regency.
We piloted a project directly with four villages in the Lalan district in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra. The program was designed to increase smallholder farmers’ knowledge and awareness of the importance of sustainable practices in their oil palm plantation businesses.
Capacity-building activities were carried out through a series of discussions and training at the farm level using the five selected training modules: on-farm management and recording, productivity, pest and plant disease, health and safety, and conservation. The Rainforest Alliance also assisted 97 farmers with an early replanting program to increase productivity on approximately 63.5 hectares and helped them complete all land legality requirements.
Moving forward, we will look into building capacity in these four villages at a more advanced level, for example, to comply with certain certification standards and to encourage farmers to become certified.
