The Future of Oil Palm Smallholders Toward Greater Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) has been widely used in various products, namely, food, fuel, feed, and pharmaceuticals (4Fs), ultimately cementing the significant roles of the palm oil sector in Malaysia’s economic growth, extensive rural development, political stability, and now directly in sustainable development agenda. In the context of the palm oil sector, smallholders significantly contribute to almost 30% of the total oil palm planted areas in Malaysia. However, the participation of oil palm independent smallholders (OPISH) has remained limited and far behind compared to private business entities in achieving greater sustainability. Due to the unforeseeable global trends and rising public concern over this sector’s sustainability issues, smallholders are now urged to produce certified sustainable palm oil. These issues have motivated this systematic literature review to be undertaken by critically analysing existing studies on sustainability efforts implemented by the smallholders according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. As per the findings of this systematic review, four main themes emerged: land settlement schemes, agricultural policy and strategies, heterogeneity of the smallholders, and sustainability certifications. The theoretical implication of this study is that these crucial themes are highly relevant in providing a foundation for a conceptual framework that portrays a complete picture of holistic sustainability practices amongst OPISH. Concerning practical implication, these identified themes provide significant insights in designing effective strategies and specific incentives as the palatable solutions for OPISH to implement sustainability practices that will transform the palm oil sector towards a sustainable future.

Social Issues and Challenges among Oil Palm Smallholder Farmers in Malaysia: Systematic Literature Review

“…Theme formation was carried out on the 12 selected articles using the thematic analysis method [15]. Three themes were identified in answering the following SLR research question: "What are the social issues and challenges among OPSF in Malaysia?".…”

“…Previous review papers on OPSF combine all aspects of sustainability, namely economic, environmental, and social, to comprehensively analyze the difficulties and effects of OPSF [9,12,13]. However, review studies conducted by Ngan et al [14] and Zaifalaila et al [15] emphasize that the social aspects of the oil palm sustainability component have received less attention than the economy and the environment. The success of the sustainability components, especially the economy and the environment, depends partly on how OPSF respond to social concerns and challenges.…”

“…Recent research discussed the value of certification for OPSF [16][17][18]. Zaifalaila et al [15] have conducted SLR and emphasized the sustainability of OPSF through a socio-economic approach. According to Zaifalaila et al [15], four primary criteria need to be improved, including the OPSF's capacity for certification, agricultural strategies and policies, the variety of smallholder classifications following the economic and production levels, and land ownership schemes.…”

“…Zaifalaila et al [15] have conducted SLR and emphasized the sustainability of OPSF through a socio-economic approach. According to Zaifalaila et al [15], four primary criteria need to be improved, including the OPSF's capacity for certification, agricultural strategies and policies, the variety of smallholder classifications following the economic and production levels, and land ownership schemes. There is also an article that serves as a scoping review and examines the global wellbeing implications of OPSF, not merely the situation in Malaysia [13,19].…”

A holistic mitigation model for net zero emissions in the palm oil industry

“…One of the key initiatives is the use of electric vehicles, and investing in energy efficiency and sustainable transportation [ 6 ]. In the palm oil industry, the government has implemented several policies and initiatives to promote sustainable palm oil production and reduce emissions from the palm oil sector [ 7 ]. This shows that the government is committed to pursuing the development of sustainable production in line with the ASEAN Roadmap towards Net Zero Emissions.…”