NewsNew research from the SEnSOR Project investigates whether RSPO certification makes a difference to smallholder yields!

June 23, 2021

New research from the SEnSOR project team has found that RSPO certified smallholders have better management practices and higher yields, but could not prove that RSPO certification was the causal factor.

The study, led by Dr Rosa de Vos at Wageningen University, compared the management practices and yields of certified and uncertified oil palm smallholder groups in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. She found that the planting material and fertiliser use was better in certified smallholders, who also produced significantly higher yields. However, it was not clear whether this was a result of RSPO certification, and it is likely that better pre-certification conditions, particularly strong group organisation, contributed both to better agricultural practices as well as making certification more accessible.

The article is published in Environmental Research Letters and the full report can be accessed here.