Failures And Unanswered Questions At The RSPO

Today was the final day of the 8th Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Many controversial and heated issues were hashed out at the four-day gathering as the different interests — which include palm oil producers, processors, traders, retailers, banks, and environmental and social NGOs — battled to be heard. The [...]

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Is the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Really Looking Out for Small Farmers?

One of the main focuses at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s 8th gathering (RT8) is smallholders and their role in the world’s palm oil supply. Production by smallholders — a term typically applied to small farmers who grow a mixture of cash crops and subsistence crops — has grown to over 40%. The message [...]

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