Oil palm smallholder survey and capacity building towards NDPE compliant smallholder production in Riau, Indonesia.

Daemeter assisted the client in developing an innovative strategy to engage with independent oil palm smallholder farmers. The purpose was to use a practical method to support smallholders towards sustainable (NDPE compliant) oil palm production. The first step was to survey the smallholders to understand the current conditions and farming practices and map the location of the smallholder plantations. In collaboration with Widya Erti Indonesia three cycles of Farmer Field Schools were conducted to strengthen the smallholder knowledge and awareness about sustainability, while at the same time training local farmer facilitators to provide ongoing support for the smallholders. At the of the programme the direct and indirect impact of the programme was measured to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.