5 February 2024
Daemeter Proforest Partnership welcomes the ADP delegation to SPLP
As part of continuous effort in sharing sustainable agriculture best practices through stakeholder engagement, Daemeter Proforest Partnership welcomed a delegation of the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP) representatives consisting of ambassadors and representatives from the embassies of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Norway, United Kingdom, France, and Denmark to visit key sites of Siak Pelalawan Landscape Programme (SPLP) in Siak, Indonesia on 23 Jan 2024.
SPLP is an impact-driven initiative by eight upstream & downstream palm oil companies sprouted from companies’ NDPE commitment to achieve sustainable palm oil production in the two districts of the Riau Province, Indonesia.
The 8 companies, including Cargill, Unilever, PepsiCo, Musim Mas, Neste, L’Oreal, GAR and Danone, aim to meet their commitments through the design of a landscape programme that is supporting the district governments in progressing their agenda on the Green Siak Commitment (Siak) and the implementation of the Pelalawan Action Plan on Sustainable Palm oil (Pelalawan).
Dr Musdhalifah Machmud, senior advisor for Connectivity, Service Sector, and Natural Resource, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (CMEA) of the Republic of Indonesia, Diah Suradireja, expert resource of CMEA and Harry Hanawi, corporate affair director from Sinarmas were also in attendance during the visit.
The visit began with a question and answer (Q&A) session between the delegation and the smallholders from the Koperasi Beringin Jaya (KBJ-Beringin Jaya cooperatives) in Koto Ringin.
Topics revolving around EUDR compliance, RSPO certification and the challenges in meeting new and upcoming trade regulations were discussed.
A visit to the palm oil plantation managed by KBJ was a must as smallholders explained the intricacies of managing a plantation on peat land. KBJ received their Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification in 2019 as the first independent smallholder group on peatland in the world that was successfully RSPO certified.
Farmers explained irrigation ditches were built to achieve recommended water levels to optimise yield and keep the peat moist to prevent peat fire and peatland subsidence.
The delegation visit continued to surrounding villages namely Rawa Mekar Jaya and Mengkapan to witness alternative livelihood programmes deployed by villagers.
In Mengkapan, villagers explored oil palm-pineapple intercropping methods to increase biodiversity and boost farmers income. Harvested pineapple were turned into snacks and drinks that were sold to help diversify their sources of income. Villagers also explored the possibility of fertilizer substitutions as the price of chemical fertilizers are becoming more expensive. They collaborated with the village government and SPLP to process production of landscape waste (empty fruit bunches) that can be turned into compost.
In Rawa Mekar Jaya, villagers and SPLP collaborated with a local start-up called PT Alam Siak Lestari to develop silvofisheries featuring snakehead murrels to add economical value in the peat forest conservation area inside the village forest.
Since its inception in 2019, SPLP aims to achieve four key goals namely to: (1) protect and enhance forest, peatlands, and natural ecosystems, (2) empower palm oil smallholders and surrounding communities to achieve improved livelihoods, (3) respect labour and community rights within the palm oil sector, and (4) pursue sustainable palm oil production goals through improved district policies and plans.
Visit https://www. siakpelalawan.net to learn more about this programme.