Best Management Practices for the Indonesian Oil Palm Industry to Promote Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia

Arden, Aaron

Best Management Practices for the Indonesian Oil Palm Industry to Promote Sustainable Development in Southeast Asia

Persistent URL

https://dspace.allegheny.edu/handle/10456/50810

Author(s)

Arden, Aaron

Date Issued

April 1, 2020

Abstract

A major structure within sustainable development and our lives are production and consumption frameworks. One of the largest and most impactful production and consumption industries is the oil palm industry, or more commonly known as palm oil. The past twenty years has seen a growing concern over the sustainability of the oil palm industry. While the industry has driven economic development throughout Southeast Asia, the rapid growth and reliance on the crop for both food and non-food uses has caused severe environmental damage and health issues. Today, Oil Palm is the world’s largest agricultural export. As such, it is a key driver of climate change, GHG emissions, human rights infringements, tropical deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and human respiratory issues. All of this is due to the rising prevalence of plantations and monocultures that are responding to a growing global demand. This paper focuses on implementing better management practices for the oil palm industry in Indonesia and improving the sustainable development of Southeast Asia. How can we improve the sustainability of the oil palm industry? NGOs such as The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil, Palm Done Right, J-palm, and Smallholder Acceleration and REDD+ Program are working toward representing, supporting, and improving smallholder farms and management practices. To promote and support sustainable development for Southeast Asia we need to connect producers to traders and consumers through more vertical supply chains, develop community infrastructure (to improve economic distribution, increase opportunities for people, improve idigneous livelihoods, and regulate landscape use), implement contract farming and ecotourism practices through agroforestry and animal sanctuaries, and develop a labor force support system with health initiatives to combat the long term adverse health effects of the haze fires. To align all stakeholders and promote sustainable development based on equity and empowerment, this research proposes the establishment of eco-industrial parks.

Major

Environmental Science

First Reader(s)

Pallant, Eric T.