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Smallholder Telecoupling and Climate Governance in Jambi Province, Indonesia

Author

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  • Yvonne Kunz

    (Department of Human Geography, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany)

  • Fenna Otten

    (Department of Human Geography, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany)

  • Rina Mardiana

    (Department of Human Ecology, Institut Pertaninan Bogor, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

  • Katrin Martens

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt University Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany)

  • Imke Roedel

    (Department of Human Geography, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany)

  • Heiko Faust

    (Department of Human Geography, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany)

Abstract

Current debates on climate change have led to an increased demand for sustainable commodities. Serving this demand, sustainability certification schemes and eco-friendly labels have become prominent mechanisms of climate governance. Smallholder farmers in Jambi province, Indonesia, producing palm oil and rubber as the two dominant smallholder crops, are impacted by this distal demand. Zimmerer et al. (2018) suggest analyzing the potential sustainability in such a context with the multilevel smallholder telecoupling framework. Applying this framework to case studies from Jambi province, our first case reveals that smallholder certification for so-called sustainable palm oil does not necessarily influence smallholder towards more sustainable management practices. One explanation might be a discrepancy in sustainability perception between sender and receiver systems. The second case is the setup of an allegedly eco-friendly rubber plantation. The establishment of this model plantation is implemented by a transnational corporation in collaboration with a nature conservation organization, impacting the access to land for adjacent smallholders. The struggle over access to land is not only negotiated between smallholders and the corporation producing “eco-friendly” rubber but also between smallholders and big land mammals lacking access to land since the rubber plantation began to be established. We argue that the concept of sustainability as demanded by the receiving system does not mirror management practices in the sending system, even though the products reach the Global North as supposedly socially and climate-friendly. The smallholder telecoupling framework is helpful for assessing potential sustainability but can be expanded towards conflictive spillovers, second order effects, and a mismatch in sustainability perceptions in order to draw a more comprehensive picture.

Suggested Citation

  • Yvonne Kunz & Fenna Otten & Rina Mardiana & Katrin Martens & Imke Roedel & Heiko Faust, 2019. "Smallholder Telecoupling and Climate Governance in Jambi Province, Indonesia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-28, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:8:y:2019:i:4:p:115-:d:221587
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jianguo Liu, 2014. "Forest Sustainability in China and Implications for a Telecoupled World," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 201417, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    2. Nia Kurniawati Hidayat & Astrid Offermans & Pieter Glasbergen, 2018. "Sustainable palm oil as a public responsibility? On the governance capacity of Indonesian Standard for Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO)," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(1), pages 223-242, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ogahara, Zoë & Jespersen, Kristjan & Theilade, Ida & Nielsen, Martin Reinhard, 2022. "Review of smallholder palm oil sustainability reveals limited positive impacts and identifies key implementation and knowledge gaps," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    2. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Steinhübel, Linda & Siregar, Hermanto & Qaim, Matin & Wollni, Meike, 2022. "Spatial heterogeneity in smallholder oil palm production," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    3. Norhana Abdul Majid & Zaimah Ramli & Sarmila Md Sum & Abd Hair Awang, 2021. "Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme Frameworks and Impacts: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-10, March.
    4. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Steinhübel, Linda & Siregar, Hermanto & Qaim, Matin & Wollni, Meike, 2021. "Spatial Heterogeneity of Oil Palm Production in Indonesia: Implications for Intervention Strategies," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315222, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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