Edo State Oil Palm Forest Regeneration Facility, Nigeria

Context 

The programme piloted a Produce-Protect-Rehabilitate (PPR) oil palm smallholder model near the Okomu Forest Reserve, beginning with a feasibility assessment and design of a forest regeneration facility to serve oil palm companies in Edo State. In line with the state’s 2020 policy under TFA2020 APOI which required conservation and restoration of one hectare of forest for every five hectares of oil palm development; Okomu Oil Palm Company committed to piloting a community smallholder plantation. With support from Proforest and Market and Social Research (MSR), and funding from Partnerships for Forests (P4F), the project developed and presented a business case for forest regeneration, enabling companies to meet PPR requirements, promote RSPO-aligned sustainable palm oil production, restore forests, and strengthen community livelihoods.  

Proforest’s Role 

In this project, Proforest provided independent expertise in natural resource management, applying practical approaches to sustainability across forestry and agricultural commodity production, responsible sourcing, supply chain management, and investment.  Other roles included: 

• Raising awareness on sustainability, fostering stakeholder commitment to better practices, supporting the practical implementation of these commitments, and engaging with the wider community to maximise positive environmental and social impacts. 

• Stakeholder mapping, institutional needs assessment, partnership development, technical assistance for forest governance and land use planning. 

Proforest Recommendations for the project 

For effective implementation of the PPR framework, the following recommendations were made: 

• Policy and regulatory reforms – Update policies, legislation, and regulations to fully support the PPR framework, address sector challenges, and provide the basis for operational procedures and guidelines. 

• Institutional reforms – Strengthen state institutions responsible for forest management and sustainable agriculture through restructuring, capacity building, and technical support, including transforming the Directorate of Forest Conservation and Management into a functional Forestry Commission. 

• Awareness and capacity building – Create awareness and provide targeted training, logistics, and institutional capacity assessments to enable effective participation of stakeholders in PPR implementation. 

• Smallholder farmer organisation – Support independent smallholders to form or strengthen cooperatives for better bargaining power, access to markets, and engagement in the palm oil supply chain. 

• Sustainable funding – Develop a costed plan and fundraising strategy to secure long-term financing from government, private sector, development partners, and financial institutions for PPR implementation. 

Project Results 

• Feasibility and market assessment of the oil palm sector in Edo State  

• Business plan and PPR ideas for piloting  

• Partnership formation and Memorandum of Understanding development 

• Supported the establishment of Edo State’s Forestry Commission working with the state government and Oil Palm Programme under the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative signed at CoP27 

Key Partners and stakeholders 

• Market and Social Research 

• Edo State Oil Palm Programme 

• Oil Palm companies operating in Edo State,  

• Edo State government institutions, smallholder oil palm farmers and local communities