The conversion of biologically rich areas into agricultural land undermines the capacity of these lands to sustain and maintain vital ecosystem functions. This is mostly the case when the conversion includes the simplification to a monoculture system such as that of oil palm. Oil palm grows best in tropical humid areas where the most biodiverse forests are located, which can threaten local biodiversity and natural ecosystems. At the same time, oil palm represents an economic opportunity for the local community. Today, globally, oil palm is the most important and productive vegetable oil, grown on more than 13.5 million hectares of tropical areas.Indonesia is the world's largest producer of this oil and houses rainforests and rich biodiversity.Recognizing these economic benefits and the environmental externalities, there is a need for policies that reconcile trade-offs of growing oil palm. This is particularly urgent in Indonesia, since the country plays a crucial role in mitigating global warming. Furthermore, the expansion of oil palm in the country is expected to continue as the national government envisages large investments in the oil palm sector and adoption of the crop is rapidly increasing among smallholder farmers.Given the economic gains associated with high return-to-labour, adoption of oil palm is multiplying among smallholder farmers. Often, these farmers have production systems that support biodiversity and related ecosystem functions, or retain remnant forest in their oil palm plantations. These remnant forests are valuable habitat for biodiversity. Indonesian oil palm farmers therefore have an important role in restoring or maintaining biodiversity. Policies that foster pro-environmental behaviors by adopting biodiversity-friendly practices in oil palm plantations are urgently needed. Such policies can draw on social-psychological theories, which argue that behavioral change is influenced by cognitive processes that involve intrinsic factors such as perceptions and intentions. These factors are less examined in the context of agricultural innovation adoption.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.