Palm oil commonly assures for negative headlines: Destruction of rain forests and biodiversity, expansion of vast monocultures as well as displacement of farmers and unfavorable working conditions in the palm oil industry are typical triggers for the bad reputation of palm oil. Hardly anyone knows, however, that palm oil is the most productive vegetable oil worldwide due to its high efficiency per hectare and that it can be found in products of every-day use such as soap, cosmetics, lip-sticks, pizza and ice-cream. In addition to its popularity to the food and oleochemical industries, palm oil serves as renewable raw material for biofuels and bioenergy.
A project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH – commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservancy and Nuclear Safety – in Thailand demonstrates that palm oil has best chances to be produced in a sustainable manner, thereby helping smallholder farmers create higher income and safeguarding natural diversity.
A two-day conference on 18 and 19 March 2010 at GTZ Representative Office Berlin gave insight into the progress achieved so far and described the outcome expected. During the conference, representatives of research institutes, oil processing industries and NGOs met with a Thai delegation of 16 members representing smallholders, representatives of palm oil mills and associations and the Government, represented by the Office of Agricultural Economics, to discuss how sustainable production of palm oil can work in practice and how smallholder farmers can cope with the challenges of certification successfully.
Have a look at the conference documentation and presentations.
Talk-A: Talk Agriculture & Rural Development 