InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Green and vast palm oil plantations where the smallholders planted their hopes and future for years always face many challenges. The wind of change that blows faster than it was, now delivers threatening news of disruption.

Technology innovation, policy substitution, consumption changes, and climate changes are not the issues only but also the realities that the smallholders face every day.

In these dynamics, they face the issue that they never faced before. The extreme climate change, critical consumption to sustainable products, and renewable technology that develops fast, forced them to adapt faster than they never imagined.

The significant question raised, how would the smallholders survive? The answer would be not only about adaptation but also about doing self-transformation. They have to be more than crude material producers only (fresh fruit bunch producers) but they have to be the pillar of energy security that would back up the economy globally.

In this process, palm oil would have the big potential as the bioenergy material. When the world is ahead to clean energy, palm oil could be the solution, not only having higher economy, but also supporting environmental sustainability. By taking advantages on modern technology, the smallholders should process their production to be biofuel or other energy that should be environmental. This would be not only to survive from global scale – disruption but also be the leader heading to more sustainable future.

But the transformation would not happen by itself. The smallholders should develop the new capacity and knowledge. They have to understand about the dynamic of energy markets, adopt more efficient agricultural practices, and get stronger partnership with many parties, such as, the governments and industries. The support in the forms of national and international scale – policies would be very significant to confirm that the smallholders would get fair access to technologies and markets.

The transformation may seem as the big challenges but it is actually the golden chance. The smallholders’ characteristic that got used to intensive cultivation and the government’s program in downstream sector namely biofuel, would deliver them a strong base to take part in their roles. With the right supports, the smallholders could be the main actors to maintain energy security in the globe.

When the wind of change gets faster, the smallholders should not worry but in the contrary, they have to get preparation to face the challenges with straight head and good ways because after the rain falls, there would be silver lining, there would be chances to be stronger, tougher, and more powerful.

By: Chairman of Persatuan Organisasi Petani Kelapa Sawit (POPSI)/Pahala Sibuea

Disclaimer: this article is personal opinion, the writer himself is fully in charge and has nothing to do with InfoSAWIT.