Research team outlines ways to make oil palm cultivation more ecologically and economically sustainable
Palm oil is a widely used ingredient in many foods and cosmetics. The boom in oil palm cultivation in Indonesia in recent decades has improved the living conditions of many farmers, but has led to a loss of biodiversity and the large-scale destruction of rainforests. However, it is unlikely that palm oil will be abandoned in the medium term - its numerous uses are too diverse and economically significant. An international research team led by the Universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim has now outlined ways for the future of palm oil cultivation to better reconcile economic prosperity and ecological sustainability. The results have been published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
For their studies, the research team examined smallholder farming systems, large plantations with high and low management intensity and plantations with mixed cultivation of oil palms and native tree species with regard to biodiversity, ecosystem functions, management, yields and economic profitability. -Although yields in industrialized plantations were on average twice as high as in smallholder plantations, the ecological indicators showed considerable variability between the systems, irrespective of yield fluctuations, - explains first author Dr. Arne Wenzel from the University of Göttingen. -It is therefore possible to achieve both high yields and relatively high biodiversity in the plantations with appropriate management.
-Reducing the intensity of cultivation, for example by using mechanical weed control instead of herbicides such as glyphosate, is one such measure that improves ecological sustainability without affecting the high yields of the oil palms," adds Catrin Westphal, Head of the Department of Functional Agrobiodiversity at the University of Göttingen. -In addition, high forest cover in the surrounding landscape promotes biodiversity in the plantations. Extensive management in heterogeneous landscapes can therefore be both profitable and significantly more environmentally friendly than current cultivation systems.
The mixed cultivation of oil palms with native trees as an agroforestry system also proved to be a promising strategy for increasing the ecological value of the plantations without reducing their productivity. Ingo Grass, head of the Department of Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems at the University of Hohenheim, summarizes: "Overall, we recommend closing yield gaps in smallholder cultivation through sustainable intensification, while conventional plantations could reduce cultivation intensity without sacrificing yield. This results in options for better reconciling the economy and ecology of palm oil production and achieving a more sustainable future for palm oil production.
Original publication: Wenzel A. et al. Balancing economic and ecological functions in smallholder and industrial oil palm plantations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2024. www. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2307220121 .
