An pragmatic report about ways to improve the conditions of small palm oil farmers.
"Palm oil contributes to the food security and prosperity of millions of people, particularly across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Demand from Europe is in decline while markets in the global south are blooming. The biodiesel market is also growing in importance, creating direct competition between palm oil for food and fuel. While sustainable palm oil production has the potential to positively impact livelihoods and the environment, continued unsustainable palm oil production is to blame for multiple negative consequences including deforestation, land conflicts and labor rights issues.
Whether oil palm farmers produce sustainably or not, their incomes too often remain precarious. [...]
The 2025 Palm Oil Barometer advocates for a transition from current sourcing practices to a “Procurement for Prosperity” approach. This means moving beyond sustainability certifications to ensure that palm oil procurement has a positive impact on suppliers, particularly independent smallholders, centered on fairer trading practices and genuine partnership."
https://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/publications/palm-oil-barometer-2025/
PD: for transparency's sake: this NGO receives most of their funding from (European) governments and also from corporations, so don't expect a too radical discourse. But the fieldwork is solid and the networks of smallholder farmer organizations are interesting. Of course, a true agroecological transition would be way better than little reforms.
But I think the proposed actions would be still an improvement for the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.
For more news about palm oil, I suggest to follow @palmoildetectives 
#PalmOil #RSPO #SustainablePalmOil
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