Learning to love the worlds most hated crop

Jackson T. A., . and Crawford J. W., . and Traeholt C., . and Sanders T. A. B., . Learning to love the worlds most hated crop. pp. 331-347. ISSN 1511-2780

The 2019 Inter-governmental Panel (IPCC) Report on Climate Change and Land highlighted the urgency and scale of the environmental impact from human-induced landscape change. Palm oil has historically had a particularly negative reputation for driving deforestation biodiversity loss greenhouse gas emissions social exploitation and damaging health. In the eyes of many in the West it is regarded as the worlds most hated crop. However palm is highly productive compared with other crops and produces 40 of the worlds edible oil from only 5 of vegetable oil producing land and 0.4 of agricultural land in total. It has the potential to meet future demand for oil with minimum additional environmental and climate impact compared with other sources of vegetable oil. The related high value density has the potential to move millions of vulnerable smallholder farmers out of poverty. Given the conclusions of the IPCC Climate and Land Report it is therefore important to re-examine the crops reputation in light of the accumulated evidence and to properly understand the full impacts across the environmental health social and economic factors. We present a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of the crop across these dimensions and provide a new synthesis. We conclude that while oil palm has had a significant negative impact on habitat and biodiversity it plays a minor role compared with poaching illegal logging and threats from climate change. There are important opportunities for the industry to reverse this damage. Its reputation for negative health impacts are not backed up by the scientific evidence and indeed there may be health benefits from substituting some oils in the diet with oil palm. Positive social and economic impacts are most obvious in areas where proper market-led economies are in place but there can be significant negative social impacts in less developed areas. We conclude that much of the reputation of palm oil is not based on a balanced interpretation of the scientific evidence. Provided future development is zero deforestation does not occur on peat uses methane capture technology at the mills empowers indigenous smallholders and supports the regeneration of secondary forest we conclude that oil palm can be the most environmentally socially and economically sustainable means to meet future demand for vegetable oil. Indeed with pro-active collaboration with relevant non-government organisations oil palm can be part of the solution to reversing the degradation of tropical forest biomes.

Full text available from: Official URL: http://jopr.mpob.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/09...

Abstract

The 2019 Inter-governmental Panel (IPCC) Report on Climate Change and Land highlighted the urgency and scale of the environmental impact from human-induced landscape change. Palm oil has historically had a particularly negative reputation for driving deforestation biodiversity loss greenhouse gas emissions social exploitation and damaging health. In the eyes of many in the West it is regarded as the worlds most hated crop. However palm is highly productive compared with other crops and produces 40 of the worlds edible oil from only 5 of vegetable oil producing land and 0.4 of agricultural land in total. It has the potential to meet future demand for oil with minimum additional environmental and climate impact compared with other sources of vegetable oil. The related high value density has the potential to move millions of vulnerable smallholder farmers out of poverty. Given the conclusions of the IPCC Climate and Land Report it is therefore important to re-examine the crops reputation in light of the accumulated evidence and to properly understand the full impacts across the environmental health social and economic factors. We present a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of the crop across these dimensions and provide a new synthesis. We conclude that while oil palm has had a significant negative impact on habitat and biodiversity it plays a minor role compared with poaching illegal logging and threats from climate change. There are important opportunities for the industry to reverse this damage. Its reputation for negative health impacts are not backed up by the scientific evidence and indeed there may be health benefits from substituting some oils in the diet with oil palm. Positive social and economic impacts are most obvious in areas where proper market-led economies are in place but there can be significant negative social impacts in less developed areas. We conclude that much of the reputation of palm oil is not based on a balanced interpretation of the scientific evidence. Provided future development is zero deforestation does not occur on peat uses methane capture technology at the mills empowers indigenous smallholders and supports the regeneration of secondary forest we conclude that oil palm can be the most environmentally socially and economically sustainable means to meet future demand for vegetable oil. Indeed with pro-active collaboration with relevant non-government organisations oil palm can be part of the solution to reversing the degradation of tropical forest biomes.

[error in script]

Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeis guineensis
AGROVOC Term:	Oil palm
AGROVOC Term:	Oil crops
AGROVOC Term:	Agricultural land
AGROVOC Term:	Agricultural industry
AGROVOC Term:	Deforestation
AGROVOC Term:	Climate change
AGROVOC Term:	Greenhouse gases
AGROVOC Term:	Wildlife conservation
AGROVOC Term:	Health
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8673

Actions (login required)

View Item