Ernawati Apriani, Yeon-Su Kim, Larry A.

Fisher, Himlal Baral,

Non-state certification of smallholders for sustainable palm oil in Sumatra,
Indonesia,
Land Use Policy,
Volume 99,
2020,
105112,
ISSN 0264-8377,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105112.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837719313675)
Abstract: Rapid expansion of oil palm plantations is one of the leading causes of
Indonesia’s continued deforestation over the past decades. To reverse this trend
against the wave of increasing global demand for palm oil, non-state certification
programs, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), have been promoted
to ensure sustainable palm oil production. However, limited empirical studies exist
for understanding how RSPO is perceived and practiced by various stakeholders along
the palm oil supply chain, especially at the source by small-scale farmers. We
surveyed 181 certified independent smallholders in two sites in Jambi, Sumatra to
understand: (1) the challenges and benefits of participating in RSPO; (2) the
willingness of independent smallholders to continue their participation; and 3) the
factors affecting their willingness. We found that most of the challenges of RSPO
certification are not well understood by smallholders, except the need for
organizational support. In both sites, extensive external support from a local NGO
was the key factor that facilitated RSPO certification. Most of the respondents
recognize both non-financial (e.g. knowledge, market access, and social
recognition) and financial benefits (e.g. sales from RSPO credits) of
certification. Although overall, direct financial benefits may be small, they can
be a motivator for farmers to continue with certification and for others to
consider joining the group when disbursed equitably in non-monetary and communal
form, such as in shared food. In contrast, indirect and long-term benefits were not
enough to motivate smallholders to maintain RSPO certification. This study provides
important insights about the characteristics of the leaders (governing members) and
factors affecting RSPO participation from actual experiences of certified
smallholders. The information can be used to target early adopters to initiate the
RSPO process in farmers’ groups and to develop appropriate facilitation strategies
at different stages of certification development for independent smallholders.
Keywords: Palm oil; Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO); Smallholders;
Sumatra; Indonesia; Non-state certification programs