ISOP Farmer Training and SPSN's Support

The phenomenal expansion in oil palm means there can be no doubt of its economic competitiveness as a land use under current global market conditions. But does this mean that oil palm is a more economic land use and livelihood option than alternatives for smallholders? Several scenarios emerging from the Land Settlement Schemes (LSS) somewhat test the viability of current extension methods employed by the Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) to lessen.

According to official reports by PNGOPRA socio-economic studies, the incidence of food insecurity, land shortages and poor standard of living among LSS oil palm smallholders of West New Britain (WNB) is rife, presenting serious extension challenges now and in the near future.

Compared with small-scale cocoa producers of neighbouring East New Britain, among whom living standards have been improving although thriving on a seasonal crop before CPB struck, incomes netted by oil palm smallholders has been increasing monthly since 2006 as world prices rose.

Such a comparison draws questionable competence of extension methods. But lack of remedial actions often stand on OPIC’s lack of financial and skills capacity. 

Re-Organizing and Actioning

Sustainable Palm Oil And Poverty Alleviation: Post # 3

In my last two blog posts, post #1 introduced early developments in Papua New Guinea's oil palm industry and then pointing to its significant outcome today in terms of increasing population in the Land Settlement Schemes (LSS) oil palm blocks. Post #2 - "Coping With Overcrowding Under The Palms" - described how farming families responded to this change and other associated socio-economic factors by shifting their patterns of production and livelihood.

These shifting patterns or production strategies have both advantages and disadvantages to the farming families and communities. One advantage (and is more likely the only advantage) is that the new strategies tend to relieve multi-household families from intense pressure when it comes to remunerating harvests and upkeep labour and sharing of oil palm earnings. The disadvantages, however, are diverse and add to further constraints to economic productivity, social stability and disturbances to the surrounding eco-system.

That is, to some extent, they tend to influence unsustainable farming practices, of which some contribute to disturbances of the surrounding natural environment, while others act as further disincentives to proper social and economic development under the palms.

The ISOP Farmer Trainings that I undertook in July till December, 2013, was a very interactive approach for me and my small team. We collected helpful feedback from participants revealing bad choices they made.

This short post will uncover one major environmental issue and associated unsustainable practices with corresponding impact.