IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i5p2611-d508385.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Agrarian, Structural and Cultural Constraints of Smallholders’ Readiness for Sustainability Standards Implementation: The Case of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil in East Kalimantan

Author

Listed:
  • Arya Hadi Dharmawan

    (Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

  • Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih

    (Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

  • Faris Rahmadian

    (Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

  • Bayu Eka Yulian

    (Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

  • Heru Komarudin

    (Center for International Forestry Research~(CIFOR), Bogor 16115, Indonesia)

  • Pablo Pacheco

    (World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Washington, DC 20037, USA)

  • Jaboury Ghazoul

    (Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Rizka Amalia

    (Department of Communication and Community Development Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia)

Abstract

The expansion of oil palm plantation has caused adverse impacts on the ecosystem. It has been associated with deforestation, biodiversity loss, disturbances to environmental services and livelihood change. The government of Indonesia has made an effort to control the negative effects by issuing relevant policies. One of the policies is Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO)’s sustainability standards to which large-scale plantations and smallholders are obliged to adhere. This study assesses the readiness of two types of smallholders, namely, the nucleus–plasma scheme and independent smallholders to adopt ISPO standards. Using a case study research approach in two oil palm plantation villages in East Kalimantan, the study found out a number of ISPO implementation challenges, grouped into structural and socio-cultural challenges, which make smallholders less ready to adhere to this mandatory policy. Coping with these challenges, this study proposed that land and business legality programs be expedited to strengthen property rights, and that training and education programs be intensified to enhance awareness, knowledge and capacity of smallholders to enable them to comply with sustainability standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Arya Hadi Dharmawan & Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih & Faris Rahmadian & Bayu Eka Yulian & Heru Komarudin & Pablo Pacheco & Jaboury Ghazoul & Rizka Amalia, 2021. "The Agrarian, Structural and Cultural Constraints of Smallholders’ Readiness for Sustainability Standards Implementation: The Case of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil in East Kalimantan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2611-:d:508385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2611/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2611/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Glasbergen, Pieter, 2018. "Smallholders do not Eat Certificates," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 243-252.
    2. Abram, Nicola K. & Meijaard, Erik & Ancrenaz, Marc & Runting, Rebecca K. & Wells, Jessie A. & Gaveau, David & Pellier, Anne-Sophie & Mengersen, Kerrie, 2014. "Spatially explicit perceptions of ecosystem services and land cover change in forested regions of Borneo," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 7(C), pages 116-127.
    3. Arya Hadi Dharmawan & Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih & Heru Komarudin & Jaboury Ghazoul & Pablo Pacheco & Faris Rahmadian, 2020. "Dynamics of Rural Economy: A Socio-Economic Understanding of Oil Palm Expansion and Landscape Changes in East Kalimantan, Indonesia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Azzopardi, Ernest & Nash, Robert, 2013. "A critical evaluation of importance–performance analysis," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 222-233.
    5. Rulli, Maria Cristina & Casirati, Stefano & Dell’Angelo, Jampel & Davis, Kyle Frankel & Passera, Corrado & D’Odorico, Paolo, 2019. "Interdependencies and telecoupling of oil palm expansion at the expense of Indonesian rainforest," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 499-512.
    6. Macdonald, Kate, 2020. "Private sustainability standards as tools for empowering southern pro-regulatory coalitions? Collaboration, conflict and the pursuit of sustainable palm oil," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    7. Saadun, Norzanalia & Lim, Evelyn Ai Lin & Esa, Shakinah Mohd & Ngu, Freddy & Awang, Fatihah & Gimin, Akram & Johari, Izzah Hafizah & Firdaus, Muhammad Abrisam & Wagimin, Nurul Izati & Azhar, Badrul, 2018. "Socio-ecological perspectives of engaging smallholders in environmental-friendly palm oil certification schemes," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 333-340.
    8. Purnomo, Herry & Okarda, Beni & Dermawan, Ahmad & Ilham, Qori Pebrial & Pacheco, Pablo & Nurfatriani, Fitri & Suhendang, Endang, 2020. "Reconciling oil palm economic development and environmental conservation in Indonesia: A value chain dynamic approach," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    9. Fedele, Giacomo & Locatelli, Bruno & Djoudi, Houria, 2017. "Mechanisms mediating the contribution of ecosystem services to human well-being and resilience," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 28(PA), pages 43-54.
    10. Euler, Michael & Krishna, Vijesh & Schwarze, Stefan & Siregar, Hermanto & Qaim, Matin, 2017. "Oil Palm Adoption, Household Welfare, and Nutrition Among Smallholder Farmers in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 219-235.
    11. Astari, Annisa Joviani & Lovett, Jon C., 2019. "Does the rise of transnational governance ‘hollow-out’ the state? Discourse analysis of the mandatory Indonesian sustainable palm oil policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 1-12.
    12. Koczberski, Gina & Curry, George N., 2005. "Making a living: Land pressures and changing livelihood strategies among oil palm settlers in Papua New Guinea," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 324-339, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    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. Eka Intan Kumala Putri & Arya Hadi Dharmawan & Otto Hospes & Bayu Eka Yulian & Rizka Amalia & Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih & Rilus A. Kinseng & Fredian Tonny & Eusebius Pantja Pramudya & Faris Rahmadian & , 2022. "The Oil Palm Governance: Challenges of Sustainability Policy in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, February.
    3. Eusebius Pantja Pramudya & Lukas Rumboko Wibowo & Fitri Nurfatriani & Iman Kasiman Nawireja & Dewi Ratna Kurniasari & Sakti Hutabarat & Yohanes Berenika Kadarusman & Ananda Oemi Iswardhani & Rukaiyah , 2022. "Incentives for Palm Oil Smallholders in Mandatory Certification in Indonesia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-28, April.
    4. de Vos, Rosanne E. & Suwarno, Aritta & Slingerland, Maja & van der Meer, Peter J. & Lucey, Jennifer M., 2023. "Pre-certification conditions of independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. Assessing prospects for RSPO certification," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eka Intan Kumala Putri & Arya Hadi Dharmawan & Otto Hospes & Bayu Eka Yulian & Rizka Amalia & Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih & Rilus A. Kinseng & Fredian Tonny & Eusebius Pantja Pramudya & Faris Rahmadian & , 2022. "The Oil Palm Governance: Challenges of Sustainability Policy in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, February.
    2. 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).
    3. Arya Hadi Dharmawan & Dyah Ita Mardiyaningsih & Heru Komarudin & Jaboury Ghazoul & Pablo Pacheco & Faris Rahmadian, 2020. "Dynamics of Rural Economy: A Socio-Economic Understanding of Oil Palm Expansion and Landscape Changes in East Kalimantan, Indonesia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Abd Hair Awang & Iskandar Zainuddin Rela & Azlan Abas & Mohamad Arfan Johari & Mohammad Effendi Marzuki & Mohd Noor Ramdan Mohd Faudzi & Adri Musa, 2021. "Peat Land Oil Palm Farmers’ Direct and Indirect Benefits from Good Agriculture Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-18, July.
    5. Eusebius Pantja Pramudya & Lukas Rumboko Wibowo & Fitri Nurfatriani & Iman Kasiman Nawireja & Dewi Ratna Kurniasari & Sakti Hutabarat & Yohanes Berenika Kadarusman & Ananda Oemi Iswardhani & Rukaiyah , 2022. "Incentives for Palm Oil Smallholders in Mandatory Certification in Indonesia," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-28, April.
    6. Watts, John D. & Pasaribu, Katryn & Irawan, Silvia & Tacconi, Luca & Martanila, Heni & Wiratama, Cokorda Gde Wisnu & Musthofa, Fauzan Kemal & Sugiarto, Bernadinus Steni & Manvi, Utami Putri, 2021. "Challenges faced by smallholders in achieving sustainable palm oil certification in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    7. van der Ven, Hamish & Sun, Yixian & Cashore, Benjamin, 2021. "Sustainable commodity governance and the global south," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    8. Ahmed Zainul Abideen & Veera Pandiyan Kaliani Sundram & Shahryar Sorooshian, 2023. "Scope for Sustainable Development of Small Holder Farmers in the Palm Oil Supply Chain—A Systematic Literature Review and Thematic Scientific Mapping," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-24, January.
    9. Cordula Hinkes, 2020. "Adding (bio)fuel to the fire: discourses on palm oil sustainability in the context of European policy development," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 7661-7682, December.
    10. Apriani, Ernawati & Kim, Yeon-Su & Fisher, Larry A. & Baral, Himlal, 2020. "Non-state certification of smallholders for sustainable palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    11. de Vos, Rosanne E. & Suwarno, Aritta & Slingerland, Maja & van der Meer, Peter J. & Lucey, Jennifer M., 2023. "Pre-certification conditions of independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. Assessing prospects for RSPO certification," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    12. 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.
    13. 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).
    14. Azhar Maksum & Iskandar Muda & Arifin Lubis & Ibnu Austrindanney Sina Azhar, 2021. "Trading of Indonesian Crude Palm Oil Supply Chain and its Impact on Economic Growth: Implementation of Theory of Comparative Advantage and the Competitive Advantage of Nation," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(6), pages 296-302.
    15. Somjai Nupueng & Peter Oosterveer & Arthur P. J. Mol, 2023. "Global and local sustainable certification systems: Factors influencing RSPO and Thai-GAP adoption by oil palm smallholder farmers in Thailand," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6337-6362, July.
    16. Ketut Sukiyono & Muhammad Mustopa Romdhon & Gita Mulyasari & M. Zulkarnain Yuliarso & Musriyadi Nabiu & Agung Trisusilo & Reflis & Dompak M. T. Napitupulu & Yoga Nugroho & May Shiska Puspitasari & Sig, 2022. "The Contribution of Oil Palm Smallholders Farms to the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals-Measurement Attempt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, June.
    17. Nurul Fathiah Aziz & Norshamliza Chamhuri & Peter J. Batt, 2021. "Barriers and Benefits Arising from the Adoption of Sustainable Certification for Smallholder Oil Palm Producers in Malaysia: A Systematic Review of Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-11, September.
    18. Halimatussadiah, A. & Nainggolan, D. & Yui, S. & Moeis, F.R. & Siregar, A.A., 2021. "Progressive biodiesel policy in Indonesia: Does the Government's economic proposition hold?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    19. Gallemore, Caleb & Jespersen, Kristjan & Olmsted, Paige, 2022. "Harnessing relational values for global value chain sustainability: Reframing the roundtable on sustainable palm oil's offset mechanism to support smallholders," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    20. Kubitza, Christoph & Dib, Jonida Bou & Kopp, Thomas & Krishna, Vijesh V. & Nuryartono, Nunung & Qaim, Matin & Romero, Miriam & Klasen, Stephan, 2019. "Labor savings in agriculture and inequality at different spatial scales: The expansion of oil palm in Indonesia," EFForTS Discussion Paper Series 26, University of Goettingen, Collaborative Research Centre 990 "EFForTS, Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (Sumatra, Indonesia)".

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2611-:d:508385. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.