WAGS East

Wild Asia was established in 2003 as an impact-driven not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting sustainable management. Our work in sustainable oil palm began in 2005, when we started to provide technical consultation services to larger oil palm companies. In 2011, we worked with a mill in Sarawak who had wanted to certify their independent suppliers. This pilot project laid the first groundwork for what would now become the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS) which would enable small, independent farmers to reach the requirements of international standards in sustainable palm oil production (RSPO). WAGS was formally established in 2012, and the first group of independent smallholders was successfully certified in 2013 with a small group of 42 farmers from Beluran, Sabah. This milestone also marked the first-ever breakthrough achieved in Malaysia!

Riding on the success of WAGS in Beluran, WAGS began to expand to other districts throughout Sabah. Among them is the Kinabatangan district, where we worked with Nestle as part of their RiLeaf project to certify independent smallholders along the Kinabatangan river in 2013. This partnership with smallholders who live in the Kinabatangan basin is of great significance due to the area’s sensitivity and wealth with its floodplain forests, the history of communities who live and depend on the rich resources there, the wildlife habitat, and today’s evolving economy influencing the conservation of this natural corridor. Since then, WAGS has expanded into areas including Tawau, Kunak, Telupid, and Tongod, while supported by a multitude of partners to date. As of 2022, WAGS has recruited around 1500 small producers as members and RSPO-certified 855 producers, spanning a total certified area of 4,621 ha and producing around 39,1733 mt of sustainable palm oil.

Another major milestone for our work in Sabah is that we are now on the Sabah Jurisdictional Certification Steering Committee (JCSC) for a State-wide RSPO initiative. This achievement and recognition of our work will be the most direct way our experience can be used to shape the way Sabah develops plans for the state-wide RSPO certification for all producers.

Wild Asia has also introduced an innovative approach called “WAGS BIO” in early 2020 to transform oil palm monocultures into environmentally-friendly and biodiverse agricultural systems. WAGS BIO is a systematic approach towards supporting agricultural producers to adopt chemical-free agriculture and regenerative practices. As of 2022, we have established 281 ha of total management area under BIO, of which 36 ha are the direct trial plots. 29 ha of these demo farms have incorporated inter-cropping of understory crops such as ginger, watermelon and mushroom on their farms.

Total area covered by the project
5918 Ha

Number of smallholders benefitting from this project
1159 Smallholders

Number/percentage of women supported by this project
34.69% women in this project

There are different ways that you can render support or partner with us for an inclusive and sustainable palm oil production by smallholders to collectively transform the industry. All our current partners currently co-exist in different roles with key stakeholders – from FMCGs and processors (refiners and mills) to technology providers (research or tech solutions) – who are globally connected through Wild Asia’s SPIRAL (Small Producer Inclusivity & Resilience Alliance) grassroots initiative. SPIRAL is a partnership platform to bring together key players within the palm oil value chain towards supporting small producer inclusion in the global sustainable oil palm market.  As a SPIRAL partner, you’ll be able to demonstrate not only commitments to your sustainability goals but also create bigger impact stories.

SPIRAL presents a unique opportunity for global brands and consumer goods companies to show tangible commitments towards Zero Deforestation and Science-based targets. Through our programme, the increase in sustainable production areas means an increase in the availability of RSPO-certified products. Companies who commit to sustainable and regenerative sourcing will have more access to  sustainable raw materials. These products are traceable back to farms, are inclusive of small producers and help the farms transition to organic production.

Therefore, partners can contribute and provide us with:

• SPIRAL grants or funds for a specific project scope such as certification of small producers toward compliance to international standards or BIO farming with regenerative agriculture; or
• Collaborate with us through fresh working models to increase new opportunities and direct impact upon our network of certified palm oil producers.

Additionally, you can also support smallholder certified production through:

• Purchase of RSPO credits; and
• Encourage more mills to adopt smallholder inclusion by encouraging progress and traceability reporting, rewarding them via direct premiums, or co-funding smallholder programs.

Representative Contact
Aloysius Jublee Intang | WAGS East Assistance Group Manager | [email protected] | +6013-8379272

Representative Contact

Aloysius Jublee Intang | WAGS East Assistance Group Manager +6019-8718756 | [email protected] | http://oilpalm.wildasia.org

Wild Asia

Wild Asia

Wild Asia