Palm oil in Colombia a huge untapped resource
Driving along a dusty road in Santa Marta with its sprawling fields of banana and palm oil plantations in sweltering tropical heat felt like driving through any agricultural landscape in Southeast Asia. The chatter on land grabs, displaced indigenous communities and forest clearing made it even more so but this is south America. Can Latin America do palm oil right?
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Colombia certainly looks like it can. Whereas the palm oil industry is a frequent cause of social conflict in other countries, in Colombia, palm oil is being featured as a tool for peace. This report from Global Risk Insights is good reading to understand the issues. From an environmental and economic perspective, the armed conflict has been an expensive one as reported by Doug Weir in the New Internationalist. This is why the keyword in developing a sustainable palm oil industry today is simply “inclusive” meaning that all Colombians, especially the peasant farmers, would be included in the country’s plans for development.
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The opportunity for sustainable palm oil
With an estimated 16% of its 50 million population engaged in the agricultural sector and millions of hectares of idle degraded lands available for cultivation, Colombia possesses an incomparable opportunity to become a source of both sustainably produced food and biofuels for global consumption.
The palm oil industry in Colombia is already present in 15% of Colombia’s 1122 municipalities (municipios) and is being depended on as a key sector for the implementation of the peace process in Colombia. A key indicator to the success of palm oil in resolving social conflicts can already be seen in palm oil’s “social dividend.” Palm oil's efficiency at bringing social stability has been proven by a study by the Colombian government which showed that even in areas of conflict, the per capita income of areas with palm oil cultivation was 30% higher than areas without oil palm cultivation.
Deforestation and social conflicts in expansion plans
While its present expansion of palm oil has been assessed as zero deforestation, it is likely that as the industry reaches out to rural communities in areas of previous conflict, that some forest clearing will occur. It should be said here that any forest clearance to include rural communities into the national plan for peace is preferable to the relocation of these communities into degraded areas. The rights of the rural communities to develop their ancestral lands should reign paramount in defining sustainable agriculture. For the readers who would prefer to support something that impacts your local neighborhood especially in the US, it is notable that oil palm farming in Colombia is being used to replace its most notorious export, cocaine.
It is also expected that a new source of land conflict will occur in Colombia as the peace agreement facilitates the return of refugees who fled the conflict. Proforest which has worked extensively with the Colombian government to introduce sustainable agriculture to Colombia presented a situation that is unique to the country:
“A company comes into the area and buys the land for development from villager A. The company is not aware that villager A is actually selling land that belonged to villagers B and C who have fled the country because of the conflict. Now that peace is available, maybe villager B and C or their children are coming back to the area and are claiming those lands as theirs. What can the company do? In their opinion, they have paid for the lands. In the opinion of villager A, his neighbors have abandoned the lands perhaps never to return as evidenced by the millions of Colombians who have resettled in neighboring countries.”
This situation is best exemplified by the Italian company Poligrow which is under review by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The company has indicated that it is willing to return the lands being claimed by returning owners but that may not be enough to prevent the situation from being tainted unfairly with allegations of land grabs.
Certification to confirm quality of product
In acknowledging the RSPO’s global credibility for certified palm oil, the national federation of oil palm growers, Fedepalma is working with the RSPO to get 50% of its production certified by 2021. This is being done to bring transparency to the commitments of the industry to sustainable practices and as a means of resolving social conflicts.
Daniel Arancibia, the Co-director of Proforest Latin America was enthusiastic about being able to verify social issues through the RSPO’s complaints system.
“For once, the people have a chance to speak. Before, there was no place to complain. They could complain to the government or to the company but in some of these places, the company is the government. Now the people can complain to the RSPO and ask for help.”
The success of certified palm oil in guiding its sustainable production can be seen in Colombia’s star producer, Daabon Group, which has been rated as the best of the best globally in palm oil rankings as conducted by the Zoological Society of London’s SPOTT program.
Fighting climate change while keeping the peace
The potential for Colombia to become a source of green biofuels must not be ignored. Colombian researchers have confirmed emphatically that the country is capable of providing for its own food and biofuel needs with excess capacity to provide for the needs of other countries. Their research has shown that Colombian biodiesel provides up to 83% reduction of greenhouse gases. This calls into question the findings of anti-palm oil lobby groups in Europe which have a preference to tar palm oil as a crop instead of doing complete studies to support their findings. Colombian exports of palm oil may be negligible today but its tremendous potential to provide a clean energy source in biofuels must be explored and utilized to reduce carbon emissions, especially for the global transport sector.
Even as the European Commission decides on the use of biofuels to reduce the EU’s environmental impact, Fedepalma would do well to assure the commission of the greenhouse gas savings in Colombian biodiesel and the fact that there is no threat to global food security. Getting the Colombian industry to produce the volume of biofuels needed to reduce the EU’s carbon footprint will however, require commitment from the EU that they will not ban biofuels from palm oil that can prove greenhouse gas reductions. With its emphasis on sustainable growth, the Colombian palm oil industry under the guidance of Fedepalma continues to practice caution in expansion as they are well aware that potential energy markets in the US and the EU have shown a clear preference for fossil fuels even in light of the need to reduce carbon emissions.
On a consumer goods level, with the year 2020 fast approaching, global brands that have pledged to remove deforestation from their palm oil supply should be deep in discussions with their suppliers on how to implement the pledge. With a global supply reach that spans the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, there is no excuse for consumer goods manufacturers to not buy into certified Colombian palm oil.
Note: Travel expenses for this report sponsored by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Views and opinions remain those of CSPO Watch
With an estimated 16% of its 50 million population engaged in the agricultural sector and millions of hectares of idle degraded lands available for cultivation, Colombia possesses an incomparable opportunity to become a source of both sustainably produced food and biofuels for global consumption.
The palm oil industry in Colombia is already present in 15% of Colombia’s 1122 municipalities (municipios) and is being depended on as a key sector for the implementation of the peace process in Colombia. A key indicator to the success of palm oil in resolving social conflicts can already be seen in palm oil’s “social dividend.” Palm oil's efficiency at bringing social stability has been proven by a study by the Colombian government which showed that even in areas of conflict, the per capita income of areas with palm oil cultivation was 30% higher than areas without oil palm cultivation.
Deforestation and social conflicts in expansion plans
While its present expansion of palm oil has been assessed as zero deforestation, it is likely that as the industry reaches out to rural communities in areas of previous conflict, that some forest clearing will occur. It should be said here that any forest clearance to include rural communities into the national plan for peace is preferable to the relocation of these communities into degraded areas. The rights of the rural communities to develop their ancestral lands should reign paramount in defining sustainable agriculture. For the readers who would prefer to support something that impacts your local neighborhood especially in the US, it is notable that oil palm farming in Colombia is being used to replace its most notorious export, cocaine.
It is also expected that a new source of land conflict will occur in Colombia as the peace agreement facilitates the return of refugees who fled the conflict. Proforest which has worked extensively with the Colombian government to introduce sustainable agriculture to Colombia presented a situation that is unique to the country:
“A company comes into the area and buys the land for development from villager A. The company is not aware that villager A is actually selling land that belonged to villagers B and C who have fled the country because of the conflict. Now that peace is available, maybe villager B and C or their children are coming back to the area and are claiming those lands as theirs. What can the company do? In their opinion, they have paid for the lands. In the opinion of villager A, his neighbors have abandoned the lands perhaps never to return as evidenced by the millions of Colombians who have resettled in neighboring countries.”
This situation is best exemplified by the Italian company Poligrow which is under review by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The company has indicated that it is willing to return the lands being claimed by returning owners but that may not be enough to prevent the situation from being tainted unfairly with allegations of land grabs.
Certification to confirm quality of product
In acknowledging the RSPO’s global credibility for certified palm oil, the national federation of oil palm growers, Fedepalma is working with the RSPO to get 50% of its production certified by 2021. This is being done to bring transparency to the commitments of the industry to sustainable practices and as a means of resolving social conflicts.
Daniel Arancibia, the Co-director of Proforest Latin America was enthusiastic about being able to verify social issues through the RSPO’s complaints system.
“For once, the people have a chance to speak. Before, there was no place to complain. They could complain to the government or to the company but in some of these places, the company is the government. Now the people can complain to the RSPO and ask for help.”
The success of certified palm oil in guiding its sustainable production can be seen in Colombia’s star producer, Daabon Group, which has been rated as the best of the best globally in palm oil rankings as conducted by the Zoological Society of London’s SPOTT program.
Fighting climate change while keeping the peace
The potential for Colombia to become a source of green biofuels must not be ignored. Colombian researchers have confirmed emphatically that the country is capable of providing for its own food and biofuel needs with excess capacity to provide for the needs of other countries. Their research has shown that Colombian biodiesel provides up to 83% reduction of greenhouse gases. This calls into question the findings of anti-palm oil lobby groups in Europe which have a preference to tar palm oil as a crop instead of doing complete studies to support their findings. Colombian exports of palm oil may be negligible today but its tremendous potential to provide a clean energy source in biofuels must be explored and utilized to reduce carbon emissions, especially for the global transport sector.
Even as the European Commission decides on the use of biofuels to reduce the EU’s environmental impact, Fedepalma would do well to assure the commission of the greenhouse gas savings in Colombian biodiesel and the fact that there is no threat to global food security. Getting the Colombian industry to produce the volume of biofuels needed to reduce the EU’s carbon footprint will however, require commitment from the EU that they will not ban biofuels from palm oil that can prove greenhouse gas reductions. With its emphasis on sustainable growth, the Colombian palm oil industry under the guidance of Fedepalma continues to practice caution in expansion as they are well aware that potential energy markets in the US and the EU have shown a clear preference for fossil fuels even in light of the need to reduce carbon emissions.
On a consumer goods level, with the year 2020 fast approaching, global brands that have pledged to remove deforestation from their palm oil supply should be deep in discussions with their suppliers on how to implement the pledge. With a global supply reach that spans the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, there is no excuse for consumer goods manufacturers to not buy into certified Colombian palm oil.
Note: Travel expenses for this report sponsored by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Views and opinions remain those of CSPO Watch