Smallholders and sustainable palm oil production: A better understanding between policy arrangements and real-life practices

Abstract
To identify how the different domains of environmental governance, arranged within (sustainable)
policy arrangements and networks, impact oil palm smallholders in their farm (management)
practices, qualitative field research has been carried out in the Siak oil palm smallholders site in Riau,
Sumatra, Indonesia. The objective of this study is to critically analyse the relevant playing fields and
dynamics concerning the Siak smallholders in an era of political modernisation. By analysing how the
different policy arrangements that are currently implemented, impact the Siak oil palm smallholders
in their practices, results show that the ‘Palm Oil for People’ program has empowered the
smallholders by heightening the local economy and has opened up pathways for other (sustainable)
policy arrangements. However there are still some significant challenges, ranging from price related-,
technical-, land registration- , transportation- towards financial issues, that need to be dealt with in
the future. The study concludes that policymakers need to be aware of the given context and
dynamics within a given site. Within the Siak smallholders site, villages were impacted in diverse
ways, leading to a different path for each of the villages and policy arrangements can therefore
reshape power relations. Yield intensification methods set out within policy arrangements are
commonly adopted by smallholders, but actors need to be motivated for building long term
commitments on the path towards a sustainable future.