Foresight Strategy for Sustainable Oil Palm Development in East Halmahera Indonesia

Abstract

The huge contribution of oil palm to the Indonesia's economy and sustainability has been widely discussed and required further study. Nowadays, Indonesia's government is focusing on oil palm development in the east of Indonesia. One of the development sites is East Halmahera. However, the previous relevant studies have not investigated the oil palm development in the east of Indonesia. Therefore, strategy for sustainable oil palm development in East Halmahera is a novel and urgently needed for agricultural development programs in Indonesia. This study aimed to map the position of oil palm as an initiative commodity for development and formulate strategy and policy for sustainable oil palm development in East Halmahera. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) became basis for evaluation criteria of this study. Data were gathered through focused group discussion involving some representatives of key stakeholders such as local community, government and company. Preference Ranking Organization Methods for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) and Multi-criteria Policy (MULTIPOL) were applied as data analysis with multi-criteria and prospective approaches. This study found that oil palm is a strategic commodity for regional economic development compared to mining. Furthermore, economic growth, inclusiveness and environmental preservation are foresight policy scenario for sustainable oil palm development in East Halmahera.