A closer look at certifying 5,000 Sierra Leonean smallholders Q&A with Rosine Nsegbe, Group Sustainability Manager, Goldtree Sierra Leone Ltd Africa has long been heralded as the new frontier of commercial oil palm expansion. The region currently has an estimated 4 million hectares of oil palm production spread across 22 countries and, as an emerging […]
Impact story type: Smallholders
When an oil palm farmer finds a better way
Forty-five-year-old smallholder farmer Sunarno, or “Narno” as he is better known, was unfamiliar with best practices in sustainable palm oil cultivation and the impacts of herbicides, until he was introduced to RSPO in 2012. Since then, Sunarno says he has increased his knowledge and gained more opportunities, resulting in a more positive impact on the […]
An oil palm farmer’s positive impact on the environment
When Suhaili, a smallholder farmer in the Jambi Province of Indonesia, was introduced to RSPO in 2014, his expectations about certification were exceeded. In addition to learning best management practices and being able to expand his palm oil plantation, Suhaili developed a river conservation programme, which benefits his plantation and the local village. He explained […]
From reluctance to self-reliance
An Indonesian smallholder and mother shares her story of certification Unlike Scheme Smallholders who are able to receive training and assistance from oil palm plantation companies, Independent Smallholders generally learn how to plant oil palm from their neighbours through trial and error, and rarely undergo any agricultural training. One such smallholder is Ratnawati, a mother […]
