Palm Oil Plantation

Sime Darby Plantation runs a diverse set of businesses worldwide, with a global reach and expertise spread beyond topographic boundaries. Guided by a clear vision and strategy, we are committed to deliver sustainable returns without compromising on improvements for people, planet, and prosperity. We believe in our people’s ability to maximize our operational and strategic potential. Even in the toughest of times, our value-driven culture, strong focus on sustainability, and innovation continue to help us remain resilient and maintain our position as an industry leader in good agricultural practices.

The oil palm, an economically important tree, has been one of the world’s major sources of edible oil and a
significant precursor of biodiesel fuel. Unfortunately, it now faces the threat of a devastating disease. Many
researchers have identified Ganoderma boninense as the major pathogen that affects the oil palm tree and
eventually kills it. But identification of the pathogen is just the first step. No single method has yet been able to halt
the continuing spread of the disease. This paper discusses the modes of infection and transmission of Ganoderma
boninense and suggests techniques for its early detection. Additionally, the paper proposes some possible ways of
controlling the disease. Such measures, if implemented, could contribute significantly to the sustainability of the
palm oil industry in South East Asia

Ecotourism
is
a
relatively
new
concept,
and
it
is
still
often
misunderstood
or
misused.
Some
people
have
abused
the
term
to
attract
conservation
conscious
travelers
to
what,
in
reality,
are
simply
nature
tourism
programs,
which
may
cause
negative
environmental
and
social
impacts.
While
the
term
was
first
heard
in
the
1980s,
the
first
broadly
accepted
definition,
and
one
that
continues
to
be
a
valid
“nutshell”
definition
was
established
by
The
(International)
Ecotourism
Society
in
1990:
Responsible
travel
to
natural
areas
that
conserves
the
environment
and
improves
the
well
being
of
local
people.

Smallholders cultivating oil palm (OP) under Land Settlement Scheme (LSS) in PNG are suffering from low income and over-population. Under this OP project, introduced in 1967, smallholders were granted 99-year lease for 6.0 to 6.5 hectares block of government land. This paper argues that the existing land leasing-system is the root-cause of these problems. The lease system is a disincentive for the offspring of original block owners to leave the plantation area, which causes lower income due to the sub-division of OP blocks. This situation however might change if the lease-system is made fully transferable ownership system.

Vladimir Putin is the third modern dictator, after Napoleon and Hitler to make the mistake of invading Ukraine, albeit the first to try from east to west. There are five potential outcomes to his historic act of folly. The most desirable option, Putin’s defeat, also carries the most short-term risks.

Wann wurde Deutschland letztlich postkolonial? HistorikerInnen haben in den letzten Jahren in zunehmendem Maße das Gefüge etablierter Geschichtsperiodisierungen kritisch aufgebrochen und hinterfragt – für ein neues Verständnis von der Kontinuität imperialer Verflechtungen Deutschlands über die klassischen Zäsuren von 1918 und 1945 hinweg. Die Vorlesung untersucht die zahlreichen kolonialen Stationen des international einflussreichen Agronomen Ernst Fickendey (1878-1958) – und wie deutsche Tropen-Experten eine sich wandelnde Weltordnung von deutschen, holländischen, osmanischen und spanischen Imperialprojekten in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts navigierten und für ihre eigenen Karrieren nutzten. Sie zeigt, wie durch vielfältige Anwerbungen in überseeische Kolonien und Remigration das Wissen und die Praktiken kolonialer Agronomie im Gefolge des Zweiten Weltkriegs und der nationalsozialistischen Ostkolonisation letztlich auch Einzug in Europa gehalten haben. Fickendeys Laufbahn, während der er über fünf Jahrzehnte lang in fünf Imperien wirkte, zeigt abschließend, dass mit dem Zusammenbruch von Hitlers Reich die deutsche Teilnahme an der Expansion, der Verwaltung tropischer Plantagenökonomien und der Ausbeutung indigener Arbeiter nicht mit dem Beginn des Kalten Krieges endete.

Oil palm is the best oil-containing crop in terms of yield capacity, even though planting oil palms won't give immediate returns. The crop's productivity depends on tree species, soil type, climatic conditions, oil palm plantation management, and cultivation practices.In fact, the cost inputs during the first thirty months (prior to the first harvesting) are rewarded with up to 25 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hectar (i.e. 1.48 Bigha) in mature trees. Global production and demand for palm oil are increasing rapidly. The cultivation of palm oil is more advantageous than other vegetable crops like soy, sunflower and mustard, with 4-10 times the output per unit of land. This makes its cultivation critical to global food security and nutrition.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) carrying multi-spectral and multimodal data acquisition are widely used in precision agriculture. They have contributed to significant reduction of in-field walking costs and experiments. Accruing higher resolution images with Intelligent Remote Imaging System (IRIS) to generate multidimensional maps for specialty crops necessitate lower altitude mission flights with greater accuracy and stability.

Panen adalah kegiatan utama saat pohon kelapa sawit berada pada masa produktif. Banyak hal yang harus diperhatikan terkait dengan kegiatan ini. Mulai dari persiapan hingga pasca panen. Agar tercipta kelangsungan produksi yang berkelanjutan dan hasil CPO dengan kualitas optimal

"Transboundary haze pollution is an almost annual occurrence in Southeast Asia. Haze originates  from peat and forest fires mostly in Indonesia, with Malaysia and Singapore suffering the worst of its effects. Most of these fires are manmade, and linked to land clearing activities of local and foreign commercial oil palm plantations. The regional nature of haze has concentrated mitigation activities at the ASEAN level. However these initiatives continually fail to effectively mitigate haze. This article argues that haze mitigation has been problematic due to the ASEAN
style of regional engagement, which prioritizes the maintenance of national sovereignty. States are compelled to act in their national interests, as opposed to the collective regional interests.The economic importance of the oil palm sector to the states involved, coupled with traditionallyclose relationships between key economic actors and political elites, meant that the maintenance of the status quo, where major plantation companies could continue to clear land using the cost-effective method of burning, was of crucial national interest. Therefore, the ASEAN style of regional engagement has enabled member states to shape ASEAN initiatives to preserve the interests of these political and economic elite, while the public continue to suffer the haze."

This book examines the native Irish experience of conquest and colonisation in Ulster in the first decades of the seventeenth century. Central to its argument is that the Ulster plantation bears more comparisons to European expansion throughout the Atlantic than (as some historians have argued) the early-modern state’s consolidation of control over its peripheral territories. Farrell also demonstrates that plantation Ulster did not see any significant attempt to transform the Irish culturally or economically in these years, notwithstanding the rhetoric of a ‘civilising mission’. Challenging recent scholarship on the integrative aspects of plantation society, he argues that this emphasis obscures the antagonism which characterised relations between native and newcomer until the eve of the 1641 rising. This book is of interest not only to students of early-modern Ireland but is also a valuable contribution to the burgeoning field of Atlantic history and indeed colonial studies in general.

Kata Pengantar
APAKAH hubungannya Hak Guna Usaha dengan Hak Asasi Manusia? Hak guna usaha adalah suatu hak pengelolaan yang diberikan oleh negara kepada perusahaan di atas tanah negara selama 30 tahun sedangkan hak azasi manusia adalah hak-hak dasar sebagai manusia yang wajib dipenuhi dan diusahakan oleh negara. Yang satu diberikan oleh negara kepada perusahaan dan yang satu diwajibkan agar dipenuhi oleh negara. Di dalam buku yang berjudul ‘HGU dan HAM’ inilah ke dua hak tersebut diperbincangkan dan didiskusikan. Terdapat dua skenario berkenaan hubungan dua hak tersebut, pertama, ke dua hak tersebut saling menguatkan (sinergis) dan hal inilah yang diharapkan oleh Komnas Ham. Kedua, dua hak tersebut saling berkompetisi untuk saling mengalahkan. Saya melihat di dalam praktek-praktek pemberian HGU oleh negara telah mengabaikan bahkan kurang mempertimbangkan aspek HAM, buku inilah sebagai bukti awal terhadap tesa di depan.
Di dalam buku ini, hal yang paling menarik adalah lewat pemberianhak bernama HGU oleh negara (baca pemerintah) maka beberapahak ekosos dan hak adat masyarakat dilindih dan dikalahkan. Hal ini terbaca didalam kesimpulan-kesimpulan yang didapatkan oleh tim penulis buku tersebut. kesimpulan tersebut antara lain:
1. Kebijakan nasionalisasi dan konversi hak-hak barat di awal kemerdekaan tidak mempertimbangkan perjanjian pemakaian
tanah antara masayarakat adat dengan pengusaha perkebunan Belanda yang kemudian mendapatkan hak erfpach dari pemerintah kolonial Belanda.
2. Konfersi hak Erfpach menjadi HGU, menyebabkan diambil alihnya tanah-tanah masyarakat adat oleh negara.
3. Pengambilalihan tanah-tanah adat di zaman kemerdekaan juga dengan tidak menghargai hukum adat, sehingga menimbulkan konflik-konflik hukum dan sosial.
4. Proses pelepasan hak atas tanah-tanah adat menunjukkan indikasi kuat terjadinya pelanggaran-pelanggaran hak hukum masyarakat adat, maka HGU-HGU yang lahir di atas situasi demikian membawa serta merta cacat hukum.
5. Hampir tidak ada langkah-langkah penyelesaian hukum terhadap kasus-kasus HGU ini menyebabkan hak-hak masyarakat adat dilanggar, baik hak konstitusional maupun hak azazi mereka.
Saya secara pribadi ataupun Komisioner Komnas HAM menyambut gembira atas terbitnya buku ini. Draft buku ini sudah begitu lama dikarenakan kegiatan penelitian ini dilakukan sewaktu kepengurusan Komnas Ham era Bapak Hakim Garuda Nusantara. Saya berterima kasih terhadap berbagai pihak yang telah membantu penelitian dan terbitnya buku ini antara lain Perkumpulan Sawit Watch, BPRPI, Walhi Kalbar, Walhi Sulsel, berbagai komunitas masyarakat adat, dan beberapa pihak yang tidak dapat saya sebutkan. Terakhir, semoga lewat kerja kecil ini dapat menambah darah perjuangan bagi komunitaskomunitas penguatan masyarakat adat yang Hak Azasi Manusia-nya terus menerus dimarjinalkan.

The oil palm plantation sector has been one of the front-runners in the Indonesian agriculture sector. The development of the oil palm plantation is aimed at employment creation, poverty alleviation, and rural development. The market of Indonesian palm oil has been substantially growing nationally and internationally. Such development is, however, criticised for causing environmental degradations and having adverse socio-economic impacts by bringing about land conflicts. Based on a field research on oil palm plantations in Riau province in 2012, this chapter reveals decent work deficits on oil palm plantations, contributing to the discussions on socio-economic implications of Indonesian palm oil sector development. The chapter particularly focuses on the attempt in measuring decent work deficit in the agriculture sector, particularly on oil palm plantations. To this end, the discussions start with a brief profile of the Indonesian oil palm plantation sector. The concept of decent work is then discussed, including criticisms and challenges in measuring decent work deficits in the agriculture sector.

The end of the civil war in Aceh brought peace, but it has been of a predatory nature. As a moment of rupture, the peace revealed interests, powers and dynamics, and it offered an opportunity for their reconfiguration. When unrest ceased, old agrarian conflicts between smallholders and planters resumed. Peace held promise of land reform. Yet old patterns of smallholder dispossession were entrenched as the former insurgency leadership aligned with the old elite of plantation companies. Oil palm contract- farming schemes effectively alienated smallholders from their land, and violence precluded their organization. As a result, large-scale plantation production expanded. Through the creation of a violent frontier, smallholders were denied recognition of independent rights and property. In essence, smallholders were dispossessed by a combination of violence, political power and duplicitous paperwork. The study is based on fieldwork in areas where current land conflicts are played out, as well as on secondary sources.

As part of efforts to mitigate the oil palm industry’s harmful impacts in Southeast Asia, scholars have begun showing more interest in smallholder farming arrangements. However, the reasons why most smallholders in Malaya have shunned the crop since its introduction have not been carefully investigated to date. Historians have typically claimed that oil palms exhibited processing cost economies that favoured large-scale farming arrangements. The history of Malaya, with particular reference to Johor, a major site of oil palm cultivation since the 1920s, suggests a different argument.

This thesis contends that Malayan smallholders spurned oil palms because of high opportunity costs, grounded in the counter-attractions of other tree crops. Hevea rubber was especially alluring, with its relatively high cash returns. Similarly important to smallholders, but barely acknowledged by historians, was the coconut palm. First, it flourished in soils where rubber floundered. Second, prior to the oil palm’s arrival, coconut palm products were already domestically popular. Consequently, Malayan processors and traders, key influences mediating demand and supply, had little incentive to encourage smallholders to channel labour into oil palms, when estates began adopting the tree. Third, labour requirements for oil palms were more exacting than those for other tree crop mainstays, including coconut palms. Fourth, government policies affecting the cultivation, processing and domestic consumption of oil palm products helped restrain small-scale involvement, whereas official support for smallholder coconut farming was more forthcoming. These opportunity costs ensured that small-scale oil palm cultivation remained muted, despite significant policy changes favouring smallholders during the 1950s and 1960s.

This thesis contributes to the economic history of Southeast Asia through a detailed examination of oil and coconut palm farming, two important pursuits neglected by historical scholarship. It stresses the significance of a set of overlooked economic actors, incorporating cultural considerations in the process. Lastly, it makes novel analytic links between pre-colonial, British, Japanese, and independence-era polities in Malaya.

Placing expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia in the context of the global land grab, this paper analyzes the contemporary extent and early historical periods of plantation expansion via the theory of accumulation by dispossession (ABD). After reviewing the empirical debate about the land grab, this paper examines the importance of ABD to understand the land grabs in general and for oil palm plantations in Indonesia in par- ticular. Rather than a new phenomenon of the last four decades of neoli- beralism, ABD has a history of several centuries. Building on historical understanding of ABD, this paper applies the theory to the Indonesian oil palm case, making the case that the multiple and uncertain sequences of engagement with oil palm expansion are reflective of a broader struggle against dispossession.

Plant disease assessment is conducted to analyze the measurement of disease/pathogens (phythopathometry) which is fundamental for estimation of disease intensity and crop loss. Plant disease assessment aids researchers and farmers to evaluate the cause of disease and extent of damage (physical and economical). Accurate and reliable approach is needed in plant disease assessment to increase plant disease identification and severity estimation. Contemporary techniques developed for plant disease detection revolves around the concept of non-destructive sampling. Non-destructive detection methods can be done in rapid and rigorous manner without affecting crop growth. Various spectroscopic and imaging techniques have been studied to detect disease-causing harmful organisms. Diseases that are evaluated by visual symptom(s) on the crop are called symptomatic diseases. It is important to evaluate the type of damage, cause of symptom, effect of disease and ways to prevent further spread of the disease. Generally, most crop diseases are known to adversely affect crop yields. This paper describes the use of precision agriculture tools such as reflectance spectroscopy and artificial neural network for assessment and monitoring of plant disease.

Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa praktik bisnis di sektor perkebunan sa­wit di wilayah Kalimantan Tengah membawa perubahan signifikan bagi kehi­dupan individu dan komunitas. Keberadaan industri perkebunan sawit telah memperburuk kualitas hidup warga dan komunitas. Warga dan masyarakat ––ba­ik masyarakat adat maupun masyarakat transmigran–– mengalami pelanggaran hak asasi, baik hak ekonomi, sosial, budaya maupun hak sipil.

Bisnis perkebunan sawit dijalankan dengan mengabaikan hak-hak warga dan komunitas. Pengabaian hak warga ini sudah terjadi sejak pengurusan izin. Perusahaan sudah beroperasi meskipun belum mengantongi semua perizin­an yang dipersyaratkan. Perusahaan tidak mematuhi ketentuan dan tidak men­ja­lan­kan kewajiban yang diman-datkan dalam undang-undang yang terkait lang­sung dengan industri perkebunan sawit, yaitu Undang-Undang tentang Per­kebunan, Undang-Undang tentang Kehutanan, Undang-Undang tentang Per­lindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup, dan Undang-Undang tentang Ke­tenagakerjaan.

Ketika terjadi pelanggaran hak asasi manusia yang melibatkan perkebunan sawit, pihak korporasi juga tidak menyediakan mekanisme pengaduan, penyelesaian dan pemulihan, termasuk ganti rugi yang adil bagi para korban. Terkait dengan hak pekerja, korporasi perkebunan sawit cenderung menerapkan sistem hubungan kerja longgar dan pengupahan berbasis kerja paksa: upah rendah, penerapan sistem target, beban kerja dan resiko kerja tinggi tanpa jaminan sosial, dan pengawasan ketat.

Pelanggaran hak ekonomi, sosial, budaya, dan hak sipil warga dan ko­munitas dimungkinkan karena pemerintah tidak sepenuhnya menjalankan ke­wajibannya untuk melindungi hak warga dan komunitas. Pemerintah gagal da­lam menjalankan kewajiban untuk mencegah terjadinya pelanggaran hak asasi ma­nusia yang dilakukan perusahaan perkebunan sawit. Terkait dengan industri perkebunan sawit pemerintah telah membuat aturan atau hukum, di antaranya adalah Undang-Undang tentang Perkebunan, Undang-Undang tentang Kehu­tanan, dan Undang-Undang tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup. Namun undang-undang tersebut tidak memadai dalam mengakui hak-hak warga dan komunitas. Selain sangat minim dalam menjamin hak warga dan komunitas, undang-undang tersebut juga tidak mengatur tentang sanksi bagi pihak ketiga yang melanggar hak-hak warga dan komunitas. Kondisi ini semakin diperburuk oleh rendahnya komitmen pemerintah dalam menjalankan kewajiban yang dimandatkan undang-undang, di antaranya adalah: 1) membuat perencanaan perkebunan-kehutanan-lingkungan hidup, 2) membuat peraturan tentang tata ruang yang secara efektif menjamin hak dan wilayah kelola ma­syarakat, 3) melaksanakan sepenuhnya sistem perizinan, 4) melaksanakan peng­awasan terhadap perkebunan sawit yang sudah beroperasi dan penyelidikan ter­hadap perusahaan yang melakukan pelanggaran, 5) melaksanakan penegakan hukum. Ketika terjadi pelanggaran hak asasi manusia, pemerintah cenderung membiarkan dan terkesan saling melempar tanggung jawab. Tidak ada mekanisme pengaduan dan penyelesaian efektif terkait pelanggaran hak asasi manusia dan pelanggaran hak-hak warga yang dijamin da­lam hukum nasional, tidak ada me­kanisme pemulihan dan kompensasi bagi kor­ban, dan juga tidak tersedia akses bagi korban untuk mendapatkan penye­lesaian yang adil, baik melalui jalur peng­adilan maupun di luar pengadilan.

Hasil studi terkait tanggung jawab korporasi di sektor industri perkebunan sawit ini diharapkan dapat memperkuat wacana tentang tanggung jawab aktor non negara ––khususnya korporasi–– terhadap hak asasi manusia. Selain itu, ha­sil studi ini juga diharapkan dapat memberikan kontribusi bagi para pihak, khususnya pemerintah, lembaga bisnis, lembaga-lembaga internasional, dan masyarakat sipil Indonesia dalam melakukan berbagai upaya untuk mewujudkan penerapan parameter hak asasi manusia di sektor bisnis.

This article provides a historical political economy perspective of the Indonesian oil palm plantation sector. It aims to shed light on the process of how Indonesia took over from Malaysia in becoming the world’s current largest producer of palm oil. This article argues that the regional trend of state-led development that relied on agribusiness as a major sector played a major role in the development of oil palm as an important crop in the region, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia. Indonesia specifically promoted and encouraged the expansion of oil palm as a way to fulfill state developmental aims; identifying it as a lucrative source of revenue, foreign exchange, and rural employment. With oil palm playing such an important role in the Indonesian economy, the state has outlined plans for rapid area expansion, to maintain its world dominance in the sector. Malaysian and Singaporean companies are currently major players in the Indonesian oil palm plantation sector, and continue to reap the benefits of this lucrative crop alongside local firms.

Ekspansi industri perkebunan sawit terjadi hampir di seluruh wilayah Indonesia dan membuat industri ini jadi penopang ekonomi nasional. Di tengah berlangsungnya ekspansi kebun dan perkebunan sawit yang tidak terkendali, ada perkembangan lain yang tidak banyak mendapatkan perhatian publik, yaitu masyarakat pekebun sawit yang memangkas pohon-pohon sawit mereka dan menggantinya dengan tanaman lain: padi, hortikultura atau tanaman perkebunan non-sawit. Ini terjadi di saat industri sawit menghadapi krisis harga dan pasar. Krisis harga dan pasar tidak hanya dialami oleh petani sawit. Petani padi, petani karet, petani kakao dan petani komoditi lainnya juga menghadapi krisis serupa. Dalam kondisi krisis seperti ini mendalami pilihan-pilihan petani untuk bertanam sawit atau bertanam tanaman lainnya dengan berbagai pertimbangan untung rugi dan dampak positif negatifnya bagi petani dan masyarakat pedesaan penting untuk dilakukan. Selama ini pertimbangan untung rugi hanya didasarkan pada tolok ukur dalam dimensi ekonomi dan mengabaikan dimensi lain yang menentukan keberlanjutan manfaat ekonomi dan kesejahteraan rumahtangga dan masyarakat pedesaan dalam jangka panjang. Studi yang hasilnya dipaparkan dalam buku ini mengaji pilihan-pilihan rumahtangga petani dalam budidaya tanaman dan manfaat serta dampak dari pilihan-pilihan tersebut, bukan hanya dalam dimensi ekonomi, tetapi juga dalam dimensi sosial budaya, ekologi serta hak asasi manusia secara umum. Selain itu juga menguji aspek keberlanjutan ekologi, sosial, ekonomi, dari pilihan-pilihan budidaya tanaman yang dilakukan masyarakat di desa-desa sawit dan di desa-desa non-sawit yang ada di Kalimantan Tengah, Bengkulu dan Sulawesi Tengah. Desa-desa manakah yang tingkat keberlanjutan manfaat ekonomi dan kesejahteraan warganya paling tinggi? Apakah janji kesejahteraan yang ditawarkan industri perkebunan sawit pada warga di desa-desa sawit terpenuhi? Dari buku ini Anda akan mendapatkan jawabannya.

The expansion of oil palm plantations in Papua province, Indonesia, involves the conversion of forests, among other land types in the landscapes, which are a source of clan members' livelihoods. The way in which this expansion occurs makes it necessary to understand the factors associated with why companies look for frontier lands and what externalities are generated during both the land acquisition and plantation development periods. Using a spatial analysis of the concession areas, along with data from household surveys of each clan from the Auyu, Mandobo, and Marind tribes who release land to companies, we find that investors are motivated to profit from timber harvested from the clearing of lands for plantations, activity that is facilitated by the local government. Land acquisition and plantation development have resulted in externalities to indigenous landowners in the form of time and money lost in a series of meetings and consultations involving clan members and traditional elders. Other externalities include the reduced welfare of people due to loss of livelihoods, and impacts on food security.

Over the past decade, the Brazilian government has actively promoted oil palm in the Amazon biome as an alternative
biodiesel feedstock to soy. Because of oil palm’s comparatively high productivity, it places less demand on land than soy
and could thereby contribute to reducing pressure on the Amazonian forest. Although oil palm has long been a leading
driver of deforestation and social conflict in major producer countries in Southeast Asia, the Brazilian government has
put in place a number of mechanisms to ensure oil palm is cultivated sustainably and the sector is inclusive of the rural
poor. Through research conducted in Brazil’s leading palm oil producing state of Pará, this paper analyzes the evolution
and dynamics of the Brazilian palm oil value chain and the economic, environmental and social challenges faced by the
sector. In so doing, it shows that under the right institutional and regulatory conditions, the palm oil sector can expand
sustainably and inclusively within forested ecosystems. This though translates into considerably higher production costs
for producers, thus undermining the international competitiveness of the Brazilian palm oil sector.

This paper seeks to answer the question of how the global industry of palm oil is affecting the economies and natural environments of its two main producers – Indonesia and Malaysia. The first section examines the contemporary uses of palm oil in a variety of products and industries. It also sets out to describe the global palm oil market. The second section takes a historical perspective, analysing the origins of palm oil cultivation and trade and its rapid rise to global prominence. The third section looks into the increasingly important role of palm oil as biofuel component and the implications this has for its use. The fourth section investigates both main producers of palm oil. The fifth section presents the controversies which arise from palm oil cultivation, trade and use in many consumer products. The paper concludes by describing the prospects of market growth and the economic and ecological implications for Indonesia and Malaysia.

Since 2007, Indonesia has been the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO), overtaking Malaysia (Richter 2009: 3). For the country, the sector is not only an important source for foreign reserves, but is also a main instrument for poverty alleviation and rural economic development (Rist et al. 2010; Susila 2004). This impressive picture of the Indonesian palm oil sector is, however, blemished by environmental degradation, so-called land grabbing (Casson 1999; Surambo 2010; Colchester et al. 2006), and a decent work deficit. This chapter focuses on the situation of workers on the oil palm plantations. It is based on extensive field research in Riau, Indonesia, a province with the largest oil palm plantations in the country. I interviewed workers, independent smallholders, and estate representatives, representatives from trade unions and representatives of NGOs in the year 2012.